Favorite Fall Nail Polish

Hey everyone! I'm back! Hopefully this time I'll actually stay around for a little while longer, but I'm not promising anything. 

Today I decided to share my favorite nail polish colors for fall with you all. If you didn't know this yet, I love nail polish. So, naturally, I have quite a few of my favorites to talk about.

I took these pictures on my new point-and-shoot camera (yay for actual pictures!), so the quality is pretty good, but it was raining/cloudy outside - so excuse the poor lighting. It might be deceiving in some cases, so I'll let you know if the color actually looks different on the nails/in the bottle than it does in the picture.

:: Essie "Big Spender" ::

I love dark pink/purple berry colors for fall (pink looks good on me, what can I say?), so this one is definitely a must. It applies evenly and is opaque after two coats, and the color is pretty true to what it looks like in the bottle.

:: Essie "Penny Talk" ::

This has to be in my top 3 favorite nail polishes for fall - a gorgeous, opaque bronze color that is impossible to ignore. But since it's a gold-ish/bronze color, it does look better on warm skin tones than it does on cooler ones, so keep that in mind.

:: Essie "Bachelorette Bash" ::

Now this is the color that looks very different in the picture - it looks like a summer-y, Barbie pink - when in actuality it's a darker, more berry-like pink color. This, in my opinion, is the perfect "transition" pink that is perfect for the late summer/early fall season.

:: OPI "The Thrill of Brazil" ::

This color did turn out a little more coral in the picture - in real life it's a gorgeous rich red color. But it's not a burgundy, dark red - it's more of a true scarlet red that looks gorgeous on every skin color! And, of course, you can never go wrong with classic red nails.

:: OPI "My Pointe Exactly" ::

Now, this nail polish is something else. The color is a gorgeous milky gray color and it applies evenly. But. There's a but. To get an opaque gray color (which is what I want) you have to apply 4-6 coats of this. Which, if you're in a hurry, isn't necessarily a good thing. But I haven't found a color like this that applies better (yet) so I'm willing to sacrifice that little nuance for now.

:: Revlon "Stormy Night" ::

This color is a little more brown than the OPI color and it has more purple-ish undertones as opposed to OPI's blue-ish undertones. This one, though, is opaque in 1-2 coats, so you don't really have to worry about that. These Revlon nail polishes (the Colorstay ones) are one of my favorite drugstore nail polish lines - the nail polish looks so glossy on, you almost don't need a topcoat!

:: Julep "Blakely" ::

This did not show up well on camera at all. In reality, it's more of a silver-y pearlescent color that changes into every color ever imaginable once you change your angle of vision. The colors change from purple to silver to green to pink which makes this nail polish very unique and perfect for colder months when you feel like you want to wear something dark, but not boring.

:: Julep "Oscar" ::

The name pretty much says it all - this nail polish is basically huge, gorgeous gold glitter that just makes you think "red carpet". Of course, glitter is always a pain to take off, so that's a downside.

:: Julep "Lacey" ::

I love navy nail polish for every single day of every single season - it's summer-y, yet winter-y at the same time. I have a couple of different navy nail polish colors and I like this one best for the fall season - it has some dark green/lighter blue shimmers that really put this nail polish into the fall category (as opposed to the "summer" category).

:: Sally Hansen "Wool Lite" ::

This nail polish is the odd one out of the bunch - a weird, birthday-cake-sprinkle-looking coat that you can (and should) apply over a base color. I find that applying 2-3 coats is plenty for a very opaque, fuzzy look. 

Hope you guys found this post somewhat helpful! Let me know if you have any comments/suggestions below!

xoxo,
Liz

OOTD: Back to school

I got homework on the first day of school. It's the second day of school. I still have (more) homework.

Not fun. 

And for that reason I have had no time at all for blogging (sorry!) - I'm planning on scheduling up a lot of posts this weekend, so I don't have to worry about it during the school week.

This is what I would wear on the first day of school (I didn't wear this, in case you were wondering), but I think this outfit could be worn anywhere - you can even dress it up with some heels or wedges!

Shirt: Old Navy
Skirt: Topshop (similar)
Belt: H&M (similar)

Shoes: Topshop
Bag: Calvin Klein (similar)
Bracelets & watch: Michael Kors and Michael Kors

As always, if you have any comments or questions - leave them below!

xoxo,
Liz

Back To School: Makeup Essentials/Favorites

It's Monday, so as promised I am here to share my life experiences with you. But really, as if my last year's back to school posts weren't enough (5, 10, and 15 minute makeup, beauty essentials, quick and healthy breakfast ideas, fashion essentials, school bag essentials and study tips) today's post kicks off the back to school season on my blog. 

I don't usually wear makeup on the weekends, so school days are pretty much the only days that I wear makeup (during the school year, at least). And since I workout in the mornings on school days and only have 5-10 minutes to make my face presentable, I prefer makeup that does the job quick and that doesn't require me to bring a 32-piece makeup brush set in my gym bag.

So, without further ado, here are the makeup items that I find myself using the most during the back to school season.

:: Beauty Blender sponge ::

I never thought I would use this, but here I am, deeply in love with this weird pink chunk of what lives in a pineapple under the sea. I think that it is best used with liquid foundation or tinted moisturizer, but you have to make sure to soak it in water and then squeezing it all out before using this sponge. The wetter the sponge is - the sheerer the coverage.

 :: Benefit Stay Flawless face primer ::

I'm usually at school from 7 AM until 6 PM and I have a pretty oily face, so I really need something to make my makeup stay on all day long. I find that this primer works really well - it's super easy to apply and makes your face smooth and non-oily so your makeup can apply better and stay on longer. 

:: Urban Decay De-Slick setting spray :: 

Pretty much the same goes for this as for the primer situation. I need my makeup to stay on all day (because who likes reapplying makeup all the time?) and look the same as it did when I first applied it - this does the job. I got the sample size from Sephora not so long ago (shown in the picture) and I'm almost out (I've used it for about 3 weeks). Definitely need to repurchase this! All you have to do is spritz it on your face a couple of times as soon as you're done with your makeup and you're good to go.

:: Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda concealer palette ::

This has been a popular product in the beauty community for quite a while, so whenever I went to my Target it was always sold out! But since I've been in about 5 states in the past week, I've been to plenty Targets and I finally got my hands on this wonder! The palette comes with 3 creamy concealers (a light color, a darker/skin tone color, and a green corrector), plus a light powder to set the concealer under your eyes. This product is super affordable and easy to use - definitely a must for me!

:: Lancôme Translucence Silky Loose Powder ::

Now I couldn't find the link to exact same one that I have (shown above), but I did link y'all to the most similar one that I could find. Actually, I've used the Silky Loose Powder from Lancôme before and I like it a lot. The one that I have, however, is the Photogenic Translucent Loose Powder and I use it every single day - even when I'm not wearing any other makeup. It keeps your face from getting too shiny/oily and (of course) looks good in pictures! I don't usually use the puff that it comes with, though, since I find that it applies the powder too thick, so I just carry around a travel size kabuki brush with me.

:: MAC "Gingerly" blush ::

I'm not a big blush person, since my cheeks are naturally pretty pink. But this one is perfect for me. I find that it works on most skin tones (I've used it while super pale, super tan, and anywhere in between) and you don't have to be scared about applying too much because it's pretty sheer. It might look a little scary in the pot, but in real life it's a really nice ginger-y pink color. Hands-down my favorite blush.

 :: MAC "Angel" lipstick ::

 If you know me, you know that I love lip products. This lipstick was one of my first MAC products ever and I still love it just as much. You have to be careful with this when you're tan though - it tends to look a little Snooki-ish on super tan people. But otherwise it looks very natural and gives you that effortless, girl-next-door look. Great for every occasion and every makeup look.

:: Dior Addict "Fascinate" lipgloss ::

This raspberry-red color is pretty sheer when applied to your lips, so you don't even have to use a mirror when using it (as long as you know the shape of your lips!). Like all Dior Addict lip glosses, this one is also very shiny and glossy but without that sticky icky MAC-lipgloss feel. I'm actually wearing it right now and I'm at school so...go figure.

:: Covergirl "Flamed Out" mascara ::

I never use waterproof mascara, but I really had to this summer because I've been swimming probably every single day for a month. So one day I ran out to Target and picked up this one (along with a waterproof Maybelline Falsies that was not waterproof at all! - don't get it) and I've used it every day since. I know that wearing waterproof mascara on an everyday basis is not a good thing for your eyes, so I wouldn't recommend wearing this every single day. But it does the job, that's all I'm saying.

 :: Tarte "Brown" Waterproof Clay Eyeliner ::

I love using black gel eyeliner in the winter months (which is about 6 months out of the year here in Russia). However, after watching Gossip Girl every day this summer and seeing Lily wear brown gel eyeliner every day I thought that I should try doing that instead of wearing dark black eyeliner in the middle of July (nothing wrong with that, though!). This Tarte eyeliner came with a double-sided eyeliner (I was surprised when I opened the box!) that I love using with it.

:: Stila "In the Know" eyeshadow palette ::

I didn't usually wear matte eyeshadows but recently I've noticed that I was drawn more to matte eyeshadows than shimmery colors. I think they look a lot better in pictures and just look so much more natural. This palette has every single neutral matte color you'll ever need, so if you want to get into matte colors - this is perfect for you. I use it every time I wear eyeshadow, even if I'm wearing a shimmery color on my lid.

Sorry for so much blabbing, but it's helpful blabbing, right? 

As always, leave any requests or questions below!

xoxo,

Liz

Guess Who's Back!

First off, I want to start by saying that I am so, so sorry that I haven't posted anything for these last few weeks. I didn't have any wi-fi for the past week and, well, blogging during a week-long road trip is pretty impossible (I always have an excuse for everything). 

But. I am here to tell you about my summer and just catch up with you guys...and try to make up for my lack of posts by posting every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (as usual)!

After spending a couple of weeks in Madrid with my Mom and sisters I left to Houston with my Dad to (drumroll) go see One Direction in concert. Yes, I went to a One Direction concert. And surprisingly, no, I didn't lose my voice.

The next day my Dad and I headed off to California to visit my best friend. 

On the way there, we stopped at a casino in Nevada to see a classic car collection. I don't think many people know this about me, but I have a fascination with 40s-60s cars. I dream of owning one someday!

Next, we saw the Grand Canyon - my first time there! The view was breathtaking, to say the least. 

And finally, after seeing this for three days in a row, my Dad and I arrived in California.

Our days in California were timed, so we were sure to spend as much time as we could taking walks on the beach and watching the sunset.

How was your summer? Did you do anything special? Let me know in the comments below!

More posts coming soon!

xoxo,
Liz