Makeup & Beauty Shopping List: USA Summer 2012

I live in Russia. Just puttin' it out there. And prices in Moscow... Well, let's just say they are absolutely outrageous. And the customer service in stores is horrible. I hate shopping in Moscow. Hate it.

So when I go to America I try to do all of my semi-annual shopping there. That's why this beauty shopping list is pretty big. Well, to me at least, it is. But the U.S. is the place where I stock up on everything for half-a-year. Literally, everything (even energy bars and cereal!).

And as you all know I am a list-maker. So here is another one of my lists ;)

1. Makeup Forever Aqua Lip Waterproof Lipliner Pencil or just any lipliner for that matter. I don't own one but I really really want one! They just feel so nice on the lips and look so natural (unless it's a neon orange color :p) and they last pretty long. A must-have for me, since the only lip product I wear is lipgloss, so to add that extra bit of color a lipliner is perfect!

2. Tarte Lip Surgence Natural Lip Stain I got one of these in a 500-point Sephora thingie with a bunch of other Tarte products and I love it! It's amazing! The color is so buildable and moisturizing, plus it's also minty! Lovelovelove

3. Conair Infinity Curling Wand (Large) I don't do much with my hair. I only own one hair styling tool and it's a Remington straightener...and it's about 5 years old. My hair is naturally beach-y/wavy, but whenever I get it curled in loose waves/curls I love it! It just feels so smooth and nice (and not frizzy :/)! I've heard a lot about this baby and I can't wait to try it out!

4. Viva La Juicy perfume I've been lusting over this scent for at least a year. Although I already own enough perfumes I feel like this is so...so me! Not really sure about buying it this summer but I might just ask for it for Christmas. I don't know, I just feel like I have too many already!

5. Deborah Lippmann "Happy Birthday" nail polish This is a cult favorite. But...same story as with the Viva La Juicy. I already have so much nail polish! But I just feel like I'll wear this color over any nail polish I have! This nail polish is basically just a ton of multi-colored glitter (and the glitters are all different sizes!). I'm pretty sure about buying this one, but it will be my last nail polish that I buy in about a year, since I'm planning on going on a no-nail-polish-buying ban.

6. MAC Cleanse-Off Oil I use this to take my makeup off every day and I love it! I've already used 1 bottle of this and I'm almost done with my second one! I recommend it to everyone, but it just doesn't seem to work for every single person. I don't know why, it works perfectly fine for me! It doesn't sting my eyes, it smells wonderful, and it removes every single bit of my makeup (even waterproof!), so I do not have any complaints about it.

7. Bath and Body Works "Be Enchanted" Body Lotion I spend half (or more) of my year in Russia. And I really miss the U.S. sometimes. And this scent to me smells exactly like America. I probably just associate this scent with some kind of time or place in the States but whenever I smell it, it just makes me feel like I'm back in my house in Texas...

8. St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse I am one of those girls who tans very fast and very well, but the tan only lasts for a couple of weeks (a month max!). And when I'm pale, I'm not the "Snow White" kind of pale, but the "anorexic sickly teenager" pale. And it does not look attractive. I've heard so many good reviews on this self-tanner and I just need to try it out!

9. Moroccan Oil I'm sure all of you know about his so-called miracle. I've heard it eliminates frizz and helps smooth curly/wavy hair (which is what I have). I really feel like this will work good for me and I can't wait to try it out!

10. Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave In Conditioner My BFF has this and she's the one who recommended it to me. I used it when I was at her house once and I loved it! It made my hair feel so silky soft and smooth! Can't wait to go out and buy the biggest darn size of this bad boy!

11. Philosophy "Purity Made Simple" face wash I've been using Clinique skincare since I was 11 (which was when I started using skincare) and, don't get me wrong, I still do love it. I just wanted to try something new since I'm scared that my skin is getting used to the Clinique stuff in general. From what I've heard this is perfect for sensitive skin and non-drying. Can't wait to try it out!

This is it! I do have some more things in my beauty shopping list but I didn't really feel the need to share them all :)

Much love!

xoxo,
Liz

screenshots from here, here, here, here, and here. also, the collage i made was using this website!

Wildfox Jumpers: Yay or Nay?

I have many motos. One of them being quality over quantity (and YOLO ;D). So when it comes to buying clothes (as well as makeup, shoes, accessories, and pretty much anything else) I prefer to shop at places like Abercrombie or Zara rather than Forever 21 or H&M (well, I do shop at F21 and H&M, but only buy very trendy pieces that will soon go out of style).

Because I have a frickin' school uniform (baaaaaaah, I HATE IT) I am now very confused with my style... I like to think it's pretty laid-back and classy, but when I shop I tend to go for more tumblr-y pieces (go figure, 24/7 on tumblr really does pay off :p)... I really don't know, I feel like it's a little of both. Classy and tumblr. Oh well, that's just Liz.

Getting to the point of this already, I wanted to talk a little about the Wildfox jumpers. Everyone wears them, they seem so soft and cozy and just so laid-back! I've been drooling over these three ones in particular for the last 7-8 months...

The cat-moon-thing one. Is. Amazing. It was the first one to catch my eye and I've loved it ever since. It just seems so whimsical and so like me! And then there's the I COWBOY-HAT-CACTUS TEXAS one. How adorable is that??? I love everything that has the word Texas is it (I'm from Texas, so don't think I'm some creeper freak) and I absolutely love the shape of the sweater too! Then goes the infamous Taylor Swift sparkle heart one. I am soooooo in love with this! First of all, the heart is gold, and I only wear gold jewelry. And then. It sparkles. Glitter. Sparkles. Gold. Taylor Swift. It couldn't get any better.

But, of course, there's a catch. Each jumper is $108. And if I was paying for these with my own money, I'd already have all of these and more hanging in my closet. But, I'm only 13. So, my parents pay for all of the clothes I get. And it just feels wrong to ask my parents 100 dollars for a sweater... But if the quality is good I think it's totally worth it! Which, the quality is amazing, so it is worth it!

What do you think? Is a light-weight sweater with a glitter heart on it worth 100 dollars? Yay or nay? Let me know what you think!


xoxo,
Liz

pics from the website that'll make your mouth water

Favorite Paintings from the Museo Thyssen

As some of you may know I am staying in Madrid right now. I came here thinking nothing could beat Barcelona, but let me tell you, the Thyssen Museum that I visited 2 days ago...it's amazing. But I still love Barcelona ;)

Anyways, I visited the infamous Museo Del Prado a couple of days ago and was impressed by the huge beautiful building! The paintings...meh, not so much. They were amazing, but just not my thing... So I decided to visit the Thyssen Museum the next day. I spent 3.5 hours drooling over simply amazing paintings, there were so many that I fell in love with! I kind of want to save up millions of dollars and go and buy all of them :p And I know the Hopper exhibition is going on in the museum right now, but I just was so exhausted and I didn't feel like going... Oh well.

So, I thought it would be a fun idea to share with you guys some of my favorite paintings from the Museum, since I haven't seen anyone do anything like this before :) The paintings are listed in random order, since I loved them all equally!

This was painted in 1963 by Roy Lichtenstein and it's called "Woman In Bath". I absolutely love the vibrant colors and the retro, comic strip style of this! Wish I could hang this in my bathroom...Oh well, you never know :p

This is...more on the wild side. Painted by Gino Severing in 1913-1914, called "Expansion of Light (Centrifugal and Sentripetal). I love the vibrant colors (again)! I feel like this is something that would be hanging in my Grandma's hallway but maybe that's why I love it.

This is the first painting I fell in love with in the Thyssen. Called "Waterloo Bridge" and painted by André Derain in 1906. The vibrant colors (hence a pattern there yet?) just get your attention instantly and the quick little brush strokes look very unique. LOVE.

Paradise much? This was painted by Frederic Edwin Church in 1856 and is called "South American Landscape". Makes you want to hop on that plane to Brazil, doesn't it? This is just...ahhh...I'm sorry if the quality of the picture isn't that good, couldn't find a better one! I just wish you could come to the actual museum and see the actual painting! It's so. Gorgeous. It's amazing how talented some people are...unlike me :p

"Beach Scene" by Winslow Homer, 1896. First of all, I love the girl's dress -- I would so wear it! Layers, bows, red, white, and navy -- pretty much my dream dress! I also adore the happy, summer vibe that this painting goes off -- so appropriate for this season! Whenever I look at this it just makes me smile :)

Last, but definitely not least, painted by Eduard Gaertner in 1845 "A View of the Opera and Unter den Linden, Berlin". The sky in this painting is amazing!!! How gorgeous is that??? The thing I love most about this painting is the sky (no DUH) and the way Gaertner showed the building and the shadows from the rising/setting sun in so much detail. J'adore.

Anyways, this is it! Just a little disclaimer before I go: this is NOT some kind of expert review/critique. I am NOT an art smartie-person and have NO idea whatsoever about art and the different painters, I simply just found these pieces beautiful and wanted to share them with you guys!

xoxo,

Liz

masterpieces from here <3

Quick Tip: Ice Cube Pain-Killer

I have a very much love-hate relationship with my eyebrows. They are pretty thick and they don't really have a definite shape to them...so I tweeze. I hate tweezing probably more than anything else (at least beauty-wise)! I just find it really nerve-racking and painful, and I'm always scared that I'll tweeze some wrong hairs and mess my whole eyebrow up! 

Anyways, I don't remember how or when I figured this out but lately I've been using this secret trick to reduce pain while tweezing (it can get a little painful) that I will be sharing with you guys. All you need ...is an ice cube. Basically, before you tweeze, just take an ice cube and hold it to where you are going to tweeze for a couple of seconds or until it feels numb. The numbness will help reduce pain (and an ice cube on your eye is always refreshing! ;D) 

Hope you enjoyed this quick tip and found it helpful!

xoxo,

Liz

pic from DIS WEBSAIT 

What I Can't Sleep Without

First of all -- happy 4th of July! Hope you had an amazing holiday! I didn't really celebrate (I'm in Spain) but I wish I could :(

Oh well.

Moving on to the point. I decided to share something that I cannot fall asleep without -- The Body Shop Deep Sleep Pillow Mist. I don't think I have insomnia...but I just can't fall asleep. So, a couple of months ago (I think in January) there were 3 nights in a row where I only got 30 minutes-an hour of sleep or none at all! I tried everything -- teas, candles, lotions, warm bathes, EVERYTHING. But then I went to The Body Shop. And found...my lifesaver. I spray this every night 3 times on my pillow and once on my pillow pet (yes, I sleep with a stuffed animal) and it works miracles! I fall asleep a couple of minutes later and I always have such good dreams! It smells like lavender and vanilla, and I typically don't like lavender smell but this one is kind of sweeter and I LOVE IT.

Anyways, I'm already going through my third bottle of this and I don't think I'll every stop using this, because whenever I stop, I can't fall asleep! Definitely recommend it if you have problems trying to fall asleep (it's the worst feeling in the world!). An amazing product. AmaZAYN ;)

Hope you guys enjoyed, have the awesomest holiday ever!!!

xoxo,
Liz

picture from here <3

Swimsuit of Summer 2012

Oh, summer, the things you make me do (and the crazy amount of money you make me spend)... One of those crazy things this summer was spending an insane amount of money...on Victoria's Secret swimwear. Oh well. YOLO ;D 

Anyways, I decided to take advantage of the Semi-Annual Sale that was going on in Victoria's Secret

and order some stuff (the sale ends in 3 days, GO GET YOU SOME VS JUNK) ... And I did some damage. But enough about that, I need to get to the point of this blog. So, one of the swimsuits that I ordered is the push-up bandeau top along with the tie-up bottoms. And let me just tell you. I will be doing more damage at VS this summer...buying the push-up bandeau top. I bought the white one and ILOVE the way it stands out from my now (YAY) tan skin! 

So...Why do I love this top?! Well, first of all...my (ekhem) top area (yes, my rack) isn't the biggest in the world...And this top does wonders. It makes my (ummmm) cup size look at least one size bigger and the top is fully wired and very comfortable to wear (not to mention soooo cute on!)! Anyways, I adore adore ADORE this thing and will be wearing it SO much this summer! I'm planning on buying it in every color...*guilt-face*

Embarrassing Random Fact: I sometimes even wear it as a bandeau under sheer tops :p Oh well, looks good though!

very very revealing picture of the very very gorgeous model from this very very addicting website

What's In My Beach Bag?

I know, I know, I need to stop raving about summer. But I can't! Summer is one of my favorite seasons of the year (partly because I shop more than during any other season :p)! And I am so excited to share what's in my beach bag with you guys in this post! Anyways, without further ado, here it is!

1. My Beach Towel Not really sure where these are from... Pretty sure it's from Target from a long time ago, but I'm not sure... Yeah, nothing special.

2. Hawaiian Tropic Tanning Oil SPF 8 LOVE THIS. I will not go out of the house to tan without this. No. Way. First of all, it smells amazing -- like coconuts and tropical goodness, and it makes you all nice and bronzy-shiny, and it makes you tan faster! What not to love?

3. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Targeted Sun Defense Stick SPF 50 Just picked this up in Duty Free on the way to Spain because I didn't have any face sunscreen... So far, I like it a lot -- it's not greasy or oily and it works! I'd definitely recommend it!

4. Victoria's Secret "Blossoming Romance" Fragrance Mist I carry this in my bag just because it feels really nice to spritz it on when I'm all hot and sweaty (I know, ew, it was 40 degrees Celsius in Madrid today!) by the pool. The smell is nice, I like it. The only thing is, is that this only lasts on me for about 20-30 minutes.

5. Avène Thermal Spring Water This is such a lifesaver on those blazing hot days when you feel like dying or when your makeup looks too cakey! When spritzing it on after you do your makeup it leaves you with a flawless natural glow that I love, and when you spritz it on outside it feels like a cold shower! Plus, it manages to stay magically cool in the bottle even if it's really hot out!

6. Set Of Keys These are just the keys from our apartment in Madrid -- nothing special, not a necessity, I just had to take them with me to the pool.

7. YSL Rouge Volupté Perle in the shade 114 I've talked about this in my What's In My Travel Makeup Bag? post. Nothing much I can add! I carry it around with me because it's sheer enough that you can apply it without looking in a mirror but it goes you the perfect hint of color!

8. ChapStick Lip Shield 365 lip balm with SPF 50 Nothing special, just a lip balm with high SPF. SPF is very important not only on your body and face, but on your lips too! Believe me, you do not want to get your lips sun burned! It hurts so bad and it looks bad too.

9. Head Pillow This is the randomest thing. It's actually my Grandma's, not mine, but it's so worn out and cozy-looking (and PINK), I love it! I use it to rest my head on when I'm laying out, because there aren't any places to sit by the pool when I get there, so I have to lay on the ground :p (on my towel, of course)

10. New Wayfarer RayBans The exact model number is RB2132, if you were wondering. These are just the sunglasses that I wore today, so that's why they're in my bag. I absolutely love these -- they are so lightweight you can't even feel them!

11. Hair Clip This one is neon yellow and I got it at H&M about 2-3 weeks ago, so they probably still have it there. I really like it, I just use it to pin my hair back when I'm lying down so it won't bother me.

12. EOS Lip Balm in Summer Fruit Just another lip balm I carry around with me... Nothing much. I love it though, it works really good for me, and I know a lot of people love it too!

13. Hair Ties Sometimes I don't feel like clipping my hair back with the clip, so I just make a pony or a bun instead. And plus, someone always needs hair ties, so you can never have enough!

14. A Bottle Of Water Gotta stay hydrated with that sun shining all over you! When it's hotter you tend to get dehydrated faster, so it's very important to drink lots of water!

15. Lucky July 2012 Magazine This is hands-down my favorite magazine. I even like it more than Seventeen, no joke. It just totally absorbs me every time I read it and the way it's all put together and collaged is so totally me! Plus, Leighton Meester is on the cover of this one!

16. Kindle Touch I've always got to have reading material everywhere I go, because if I don't, I guarantee you, there will be that horrible moment of boredom where there's nothing to do and you don't even have a book.

17. Nature Valley Granola Bar This is my recent addiction. It's the peanut butter one -- it tastes so good! This one is almost melted, so I think I'm going to eat it right now :p

18. Cable Knit Cover Up This one is from H&M and it's NEON PINK. Oh my gosh, can it get any better? Yes, it can. It's high-low. This is definitely my favorite cover-up out of all, I just got it about a week ago and I've been obsessing over it like crazy ever since! Because it's knit it keeps you warm from the wind but is also cool enough not to make you hot from the sun.

19. Longchamp Le Pliage Tote in Large I just got this a couple of days ago and I LOVE IT. I've been carrying it with me everywhere and I can't wait to use it for school! It's the perfect size and color, and it's a classic -- you just can't go wrong with this one!

Hope you guys enjoyed!

xoxo,
Liz