bits & pieces from the week

helloo! i hope the week treated everyone well and you're ready to take on a brand new one!!!!!!!

.....yeahhh, me either. let's not sugarcoat it. its winter time here in the states, its new jersey, and the temps haven't gone above the teens in days. i just want to stay indoors and curl up by the fireplace. BUT, there has been a few things that i have come across over the week that were noteworthy. this is what i'll be calling, bits and pieces, or b&p:

* you all have seen pictures on pinterest and have made it your next vacation destination, but Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italy is one of the world's most colorful destinations (put that on my vacation list as well!). 

* i came across this picture a child drew and i couldn't stop laughing: 

(source: Huffington Post)

* so a long time ago i tried this detox drink, you may have heard of it and/or tried it, called the Lemon Detox Diet.  it basically consists of drinking lemon juice, maple syrup, filtered water, and cayenne pepper mixed together, 8-12 times a day.  i lasted on that for approximately 2 days, and couldn't handle the taste anymore.  if any of you know me well enough, you know that i am an extremely picky eater and am not one for anything spicy. the cayenne pepper was a killer! so, i recently came across an Apple Cinnamon Detox drink that involves apples and cinnamon mixed in water. it has zero calories, and claims to boost your metabolism. cinnamon is my absolute FAVORITE in the universe, so i will be giving this a go!

* ever find yourself perplexed by what to do on the weekends with your significant other? look no further than Susie's 77 Super Fun Date Ideas. especially if you live in an area like me, where there is little night-life and not much to do, these may come in handy! have fun, lovebugs.

* if you're in your 20's, this clever little site might be to your liking. 21 Secrets for Your 20s explores all those little secrets that you wish you had known while living through your 20's.  i can really relate to all these, however, #16 really read my mind. give it a look over, its quite eerie!

* new spring makeup collections are starting to hit stores! i'm most excited for Guerlain's and Hourglass' collections, which are available now!

some personal bits and pieces! resisting the urge to chop off my long (staticky) hair...surpressing the need to do my taxes (i do my own)....being excited for three (count that, three!) 1/2 days at work this week...putting up an awesome DIY necklace holder in my room...my cute new bow rings i got at forever 21, for $1 each...really hot showers...eating breakfast for dinner...doing my own gel manicures, thanks to sally hansen and mom for buying me a kit...delicious pumpkin pancakes for breakfast this morning...cozy blankets and the fireplace roaring...finishing a fabulous book, only to not want to start another in fear it won't compare.

*my kitty, fritz, always has reminded me of a little dog. he comes running to the door when you come home, he fetches toys, and he loves to follow you everywhere around the house. when i came across this video, it made me giggle so hard, because it was so much like him. take a look :)

hope everyone enjoys the week! 

urban decay naked basics eyeshadow palette review

hello dahlings,

i hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! i spent my entire day lounging around in my jammies and watching football... it was nice :) 

so today i have a brand new palette that Urban Decay released called Naked Basics ($27.00) to review for you! my lovely bestie, Mia, gave this palette to me as a birthday gift as well as an awesome dual-ended shadow brush (review at the end!). i was super excited to try this because i am a huge fan of matte eye shadows and these colors are perfect for every day! here are some pics and review....lets see if it is worth the hype!

sooo tiny!

urban decay fans finally got what they've been asking for! UD has launched a neutral, matte eye palette! their website describes this new palette as such: "our first MATTE palette, featuring six gorgeously Naked neutrals to build on or wear alone—including four never-before-seen shades." 

the palette comes in six matte shades: 

Venus: a slightly shimmery creamy white

 Foxy: yellowed beige

Walk of Shame: off-white, somewhat pinky nude

 Naked 2: rose taupe

Faint: warm brown

Crave: deep brownish black

indoor shot with flash

outdoor shot with the blue sky and clouds!

this palette may be tiny, but it surely packs a punch! i love that i can slick on two of the colors and be set for the day with a simple look for work. it is perfect for travel (it's small enough to throw in your back pocket!) and has an array of colors that would work well for day or night. 

the colors are perfect for my current coloring (i'm uber pale at the moment) and i loved that i could mix and match shades beautifully for a different, yet simple, look! 

a basic eye using Walk of Shame on the entire lid with Faint in the crease

Overall Thoughts:

Pros

-light, rubbery packaging makes for a great travel item

-deeply pigmented

-full sized eye shadows in a tiny container 

-colors are perfect for everyday use

-silky, smooth texture

-shadows last a full work day without creasing or breaking down

-at $27.00 a palette, each eye shadow is only $4.50!

Cons

-its a bit hard to open, but otherwise NONE!

You can pick this palette up at any stores that sell Urban Decay, like Sephora or Ulta or directly from their website! 

Recommend?

YES!! a must-have for those who love neutrals!

....now onto the brush that Mia picked up for me as well :)

it's the Studio Basics Eye Blending and Smudging Brush ($6.29). this dual-sided brush is used to achieve that smokey eyed look: the larger end to deliver eye shadow across the entire lid and the smaller smudging brush to apply a darker shadow from the lash line to the crease.

i was pleasantly surprised when using this brush! the larger brush was perfect for getting into the entire eye area, as it had a great design to it (almost an upside down U shape) and the smudging brush was perfect for getting into the crease.

dual ended makes for a convenient tool!

smudging end of the brush

eye blending end

Overall Thoughts:

Pros

-dual ended brushes save you time and space 

-great quality

-shaped perfectly for the eye area

-$$

-soft bristles

Cons

-minor bristle fall out

pick this great brush up at Ulta or on their website. I also heard this line is sold at Harmon, Target, many drugstores and online at Drugstore.

Recommend? 

Yes! this is a great multi-use brush for a fraction of the price of higher-end brushes!

so there you have it... two great products from the lovely Mia. thank you again, love!

Talk to everyone soon :)

my favorite tv show (p.s. its ah-maz-ing)

soooo i thought i'd share with you all my absolute favorite TV show: Happy Endings! the show not only captures my sense of humor perfectly, but i desire oh-so-badly to be friends with every single one of them.  if you are unsure of whom i mean, here is a nice little YouTube video showing you some of the very best moments from Brad (my favorite character) from Season 1: 

the show is currently into its third season, and it just gets funnier and funnier the more i watch it. i was such a big fan of the first two seasons, that i got them on DVD for my birthday... :)

the show airs at 9pm, tuesdays on ABC... check it out!!!

l'oreal color caresse shine stain & maybelline color whisper review/swatches

hello dahlings!

today i'll introduce you to the "beauty" side of my blog, and start with a few drugstore lipsticks that i picked up among my errands. i have a tendency to buy items based off the labels and the false hope they claim. i am, in a nutshell, a marketer's dream! 

(left) L'Oreal's Color Caresse Shine Stain (right) Maybelline's Color Whisper

the first item i was drawn to, with its gorgeous packaging and pale pink color, was Maybelline's new Color Whisper line of lip colors. according to the Maybelline website, Color Whisper's lip colors provide, "sexy, soft, see through color with no heavy waxes or oils...pure color pigments suspended in a weightless gel."

i nabbed "Pink Possibilities," which is the second to palest pink color on the display. why, i'm not too sure, because i've never really been one to look the greatest in a pale pink lip color. nevertheless, it appealed to me. i immediately compared this gel-like colored balm to Revlon's lip butters. i am a HUGE fan of Revlon's lip butters, and own quite possibly 6 different colors, but it did end up being quite different. the formula is not so pigmented, not so balm-y. the flash on my camera makes it appear slightly more neon pink than it appears, but the color is beautiful! i actually really enjoyed the way it looked on my lips, as long as i avoid using a heavy hand, and, although it doesn't last very long, it still feels great!

Color Whisper's "Pink Possibilities" on lips

Overall Thoughts

Pros

-the consistency and the light feel on my lips

-just the right amount of color for an everyday look

-can obtain a light layer of color or a more pigmented one with a few more slicks

-large color selection

-has a light, appealing smell

Cons

-the wear on these weren't very long and i did find myself reapplying often

-rather pricey, at an average $9.99 a pop!

-tends to fall into lip creases

Recommend? Yes!

my last purchase was also a new lip product for 2013! i picked up L'Oreal's new Caresse Shine Stain in the color "Rose On and On." these particular line of lip colors are stains, so they will leave a wash of color on your lips for hours on end. believe me, when i slicked this color on my hand to check out the color, and i could NOT for the life of me get the stain off!

L'Oreal's "Rose On and On" swatched on hand

these lip colors are very similar to the YSL Glossy Stains, but for a fraction of the price. YSL retails for $32.00, while L'Oreal is $7.49 a pop :) the applicator is actually pretty great, as it maneuvers over the lines of the lip perfectly. the formula is soft, smooth, and glides seamlessly. i kind of wish i had picked up a different color, because when i put this on, i wasn't the biggest fan of it on me. i was hoping it would be a "my lips but better" shade, but it ended up more rose-y and shimmery. just too much for me!

unfortunately, i seem to not be a huge fan of the stain part of this lip line. i also find the formula to be incredibly drying. and since it is a lip stain, you can not even slap on some lip balm beforehand, because all it would do was make the stain slip and slide around the lips. it would have nothing to adhere to. oh, well. 

it's a great idea, and a wonderful applicator, but because of the many faults i found with it, i cannot give this a full recommendation. wahh.

L'Oreal's "Rose On and On" on lips

Overall Thoughts

Pros

-compared with other popular drugstore lip colors, $7.49 wasn't bad

-the applicator was awesome!

-this particular stain formula may appeal to many

Cons

-drying formula

-cannot apply lip balm beforehand because of the stain formula

-shimmery color is a turn-off for me

-color appeared darker than in container

-"chemical" smell

Recommend? Maybe

so there you have it :) hope everyone has a great start to the week!

book i'm currently reading...

hey guys!

having loved reading and writing since a child, i am often found spending time enjoying a good book. in fact, skipping lunch at work in order to catch up on my reading is pretty common. call me a bookworm or what have you, but i enjoy getting wrapped into a character and a good story line, & just completely blocking out the world.

i'm currently 50 pages deep in "Looking for Alaska" by John Green. i'd heard many good things about John Green, so i decided to pick up his first novel. it follows the life of an awkward, skinny boy, ironically named "Pudge," who has a knack for memorizing famous last words. he goes on a search to find "The Great Perhaps" (a la Francois Rabelais) and, in turn, gets pulled into a crazy, wild (yet fascinating), world with a beautiful girl named Alaska. (didn't think Alaska referred to the name of a girl, did you?)

this book is all i expected in a teen fiction: there is cigarette smoking, pranks, girls, awkward kids, and sex. but it pulls away from a typical teen book, because he was able to hit me where it hurt. in fear of giving away too much information, i'll leave the rest up to you guys to read for yourself!

Good Reads has rated this book a 4.27 out of 5, which means that 85% of people that voted, liked it and would recommend it to others.

i'll probably finish it up this weekend, and will let you know what my final thoughts are in a future blog post ;)

....and so it begins!

i figured there was no better time than to start my blogging adventure on my worst birthday yet. don't get me wrong, i love a birthday and i love that today was mine.  however, it was a hard one to take in. venturing into my late 20's puts a lot into perspective... i see where i am in my life, where i could be, & where i wish i was. but more on this later...

one would imagine that after countless hours perusing the 'net, wasting precious hours skimming my way through fashion, life, and beauty blogs that i would have had a blog of my very own by now.  i spent four years of my life in a degree that required me to learn every computer program set forth upon me, whilst mastering the art of journalism. well, my fellow readers, the time has come. i have broken down, spent hours creating adorable layouts and "html-ing" my days away, only to revert back to a basic layout and a cutesy banner. eh, it works.

this is my blog. i will be posting beauty-related stuff, fashion tidbits, and my life all on this five year old laptop that is halfway in the grave. here goes nothing... let the blogging, begin!