Fashion Inspiration, Makeup Tips, Makeup Reviews

REVIEW: LE COUVENT DES MINIMES SMILE LIP BALM

Le Couvent des Minimes…well, aren’t you a fancy little lip balm? On one of my more recent wanders through Ulta, coupon in hand, I ran across this adorable little french brand. It was hiding demurely in the drugstore side of the store looking all innocent. I saw that the flavor was honey (which I happen to be obsessed with), so I went for it.

Now, this isn’t the cheapest lip balm in the world – it retails for $13.50. Which I would probably never spend, but I’ve had my eye on the Nuxe one forever so I thought, “This is totally a steal.” Famous last words, right?

However, I’ve found that my little splurge was totally justified. We’ve experienced some of the coldest winter days I’ve seen in a while (for Oklahoma at least) and this has carried me through them like a champ. The texture has a bit of grit to it that I know some won’t care for. I found, however, that little bit of texture helps keep lips extra exfoliated – meaning extra smooth. I wouldn’t use this underneath a lipstick because of the texture, but it is absolutely my new go-to for night time application. I used it in my latest PM Skincare routine if you’re interested in watching!

What lip balms do you like to use to keep lips smooth? Have you ever splurged on one before?

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REVIEW: Physicians FORMULA EYE BOOSTER 2-in-1 EYELINER + SERUM

First things first – could the name of this eyeliner get any longer?! Good gravy, it’s like they were trying to use up all 140 characters or something. Okay, now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about the magic that is this eyeliner.

You may remember me going on about the Pixel liner not long ago. I LOVED it because of the sheer perfection that is the brush. I HATED it because the liquid tends to leak everywhere and ruin all your hard work. Well, the Physicians Formula Eye Booster has an incredibly similar brush tip and doesn’t leak one little bit!

The only downside to this liner is that it’s not the darkest black on the market. I’m not sure if that has something to do with the serum element, but I would love to see a “Blackest Black” version of this product. It also tends to be a tiny bit watery, so shake it well and give yourself a little dry time to let it set.

The control and precision that you can achieve from this liner is very similar to using gel liner and a brush – except you only need one item. I can’t really tell that the serum is doing anything special for my lashes, but if you’re looking for a liquid liner with a brush tip, this is the one I would recommend!!

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REVIEW: LIMECRIME PINK VELVET

Over the next little bit, I have a TON of new things to review! While I’m in the testing process with some new goodies, I thought I would share some things I had taken photos of but never gave a proper review.

Up first is Lime Crime’s Velvetine in Pink Velvet. Velvetines are my favorite long-wearing formula. Now, if you really hate long wear lipstick, I don’t think you’ll fall in love with these…but if you only have a slight aversion or think you might like to try them, this is the brand I would recommend. I find that this formula is crazy long-wearing without the weird flaking off issue that most long wear lipsticks have. They are also completely comfortable to wear on their own, without the need for a gloss or balm on top (which I think defeats the purpose of a long wear lipstick).

Pink Velvet is the brightest neon pink, just a touch darker and redder than say, MAC Candy Yum Yum. I love how easy these are to apply. Once the formula dries, it stays put and doesn’t bleed horribly into lip lines. I also find that as you go throughout the day, it wears off fairly evenly without making the lips looking too dry and patchy.

So, final thought. If you are looking for a super long wearing, shocking pink, I say give Lime Crime a shot. Also, they are coming out with 3 new shades in march & I cannot wait to try them!

TIP: TO GET THE BEST WEAR OUT OF ANY LONG WEAR LIPSTICK, EXFOLIATE YOUR LIPS PRIOR TO USING AND APPLY THE TINIEST AMOUNT OF LIP BALM JUST TO THE CENTER OF YOUR LIPS. LET THAT SIT WHILE YOU PUT ON YOUR MAKEUP AND BLOT ANY EXCESS BALM OFF JUST BEFORE APPLYING THE LIPSTICK. SMOOTH, PERFECT LIPS!!

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FANCY FRIDAY: FRIENDS, FACES & MILESTONES

This week has felt like meeting central. While my brain is a bit overloaded with craziness from all directions, I’m doing my best to find the little “big” moments.

100,000 PAIRS OF EYES
Like, on Monday, when The Boy realized I had reached 100K views on my YouTube page and made me a special cup of coffee with his fancy pour over contraption (I’m usually a keurig girl).

WINTER SKIN CARE
In the winter months, I often find my skin needing a bit more pampering, so this week I filmed a few skincare videos featuring my current routine. You can take a peek at them here. Also, please note the Tabby making his appearance in the background!

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REVIEW: TARTE LIGHTS, CAMERA, FLASHES MASCARA

Most of the time, I am not the girl who hops on every new release like her blog depends on it. As much as I would love to grab everything the moment it comes out, I purchase each product I review so that would take a pretty rough toll on my budget. Besides, I kinda like to just buy what appeals to me as I go along – it makes me feel more spontaneous!

That said, I’m sure a lot of girls were all over the Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes Mascara whenever it came out way back when. I have always wanted to try a Tarte mascara (who are we kidding? I want to try ALL the mascaras). I picked this guy up at a Sephora sale and just got around to opening it.

What I like about the mascara is that it doesn’t need a few days to “thicken” like some formulas do. It comes out and pretty much stays the same consistency. The packaging says that the bristles are different lengths on each side to help you comb through your lashes better. I don’t know about all that, but I do find that it does grab onto the lashes and coat them pretty nicely.

The strange thing with this formula is that one day, I love it and the next day, not so much. I haven’t quite figured out why. There’s really no rhyme or reason to it, so I’ll just chalk that up to moodiness on my part. On the days I love it, though, I find it makes my lashes stay curled a little better and the brush makes it easy to create a flared lash effect.

While this is not my can’t-live-without-it mascara, it is quite nice. It also has really great packaging which totally gets me every time!

Do you have a go-to mascara at the moment??

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REVIEW: JAPONESQUE VELVET TOUCH BLUSH

As a pale girl who can tend to look really sallow, I always tend to wear some form of color on my face. Recently, I’ve been adding that bit of color to my cheeks and my blush of choice has been this new range of makeup from Japonesque.

Japonesque is known for their line of brushes, but just recently they’ve brought out a collection of makeup – everything from foundations to eyeshadows and lipsticks. The thing that drew me to the range was the packaging. All of the compacts feature beautiful watercolor prints that are absolutely stunning. Even the concealers come in gorgeous little pots.

I chose this blush in Shade 04 because it looked like such a lovely natural pink. I’ve found that since my hair is blue, brighter shades like pink and coral really brighten up my skintone.

The color range is a bit limited (maybe 5 shades), but they are so nice. Not too shimmery, they offer just the right amount of sheen to make skin look healthy and beautiful. The best thing about the Japonesque blushes is their staying power. They stay put, no fading whatsoever, for a minimum of 10 hours. I was absolutely floored by the staying power. I’m so curious to try the other shades to see if the results are the same!

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FANCY FRIDAY: GIVEAWAYS, ROSES, & JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT

Fridays carry a special magic all their own, don’t they? As much as I try living each day to their fullest, no day has more potential than Friday. Here’s my list of things to celebrate on this fine winter day!

PRETTY PLANNERS

I am incredibly particular about my yearly calendar. So much so, that if I can’t find one that I like, I’ll just do without. It’s that serious. I picked this one by Sugar Paper up at Target and it is the most perfect calendar/planner I have ever possessed.

ROSE SCENTED HAND CREAM

I discovered this adorable Cath Kidston handcream while wondering the “pink bath shelf” at TJ Maxx. Finding Cath Kidston items in the states is a bit of a rarity, and this has the added bonus of smelling like delicious roses!

KALEY CUOCO’S WEDDING MAKEUP

One of my favorite Youtubers to watch is Jamie Greenberg, a celebrity makeup artist who gets to work with loads of gorgeous celebs. Also, she’s incredibly funny and absolutely brilliant when it comes to creating amazing makeup looks. This week she uploaded a video of her doing Kaley Cuoco’s makeup for her SURPRISE WEDDING (!) and New Year’s party. I love how it showcases Jamie’s hilarious personality (and her talent).

HIT RECORD ON TV

If there’s something I love more than coffee, it’s watching a global creative collaboration show hosted by Joseph Gordan-Levitt (while drinking coffee, of course). I’ve been a fan of HITRECORD for a while but there is something special about seeing it all in an episode. Super excited to watch more!

GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Finally, just wanted to say congrats to all the giveaway winners! It took me a while to find all of you, but I’ve sent an email to each winner. If I don’t hear back within a week, I’ll pick new names (I use random.org to choose in case you were wondering)! Thanks so much for all who entered and shared How to be Fancy with your friends – it means the world!

REVIEW: MAC MAGNETIC APPEAL SKINFINISH

The MAC Extra Dimension Skinfinishes are, hands down, one of my favorite LE products the brand comes out with. Something about that soft gleaming texture makes me want to do a happy dance.

The latest one I’ve fallen for is Magnetic Appeal. Its a soft honeyed copper shade that MAC describes as a highlighter – I suppose it would be for darker skin tones. On this pale mama, however, it gives my skin the healthiest warmth when applied to the tops of the cheekbones…a bit of a blush/bronzer hybrid for paler skins.

The texture will highlight pores but not in an unflattering way. Sort of in the “I’ve got real skin and I’m proud of it” way. But if the sight of any little pore bothers you, I’d say skip these for a more matte blush and bronzer.

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REVIEW: MAC PUNK COUTURE LIPSTICK

When the MAC Punk Couture collection came out the day after Christmas, I decided to take a little peek and see if anything caught my attention. I have to say, as much as I’ve been underwhelmed my MAC lately, they know how to put together an image. Rather than make a rash online purchase, I went and swatched a few things for myself in store.

Probably the last thing I needed was another grungy red lipstick. But don’t worry your pretty head, the color I actually ended up with is a deep matte purple. Not a color I would normally opt for, but something about Punk Couture made me feel a bit adventurous – so I went for it.

I actually think it looks quite nice with my latest hair concoction. It’s just plummy enough to keep some life in the skin and not make your teeth look too yellow. As far as application: remember that this is a MATTE lipstick, which means it will probably stick to a few spots on the lip. Exfoliate well before use and use a lipbrush to blend (my closeup shot was taken prior to using a lip brush – I wanted to show you how it looked straight from the tube). Also, a good lip liner goes a long way in keeping those dark colors in place.

Overall, I’d say if you’re looking for a darker take on the vampy lip trend, Punk Couture might be the way to go.

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THE BLANK PAGE

The end of the year. A time for reflection, honest evaluation, future planning, dreaming, calendar buying, timeline making, goal setting – the list of self-scrutiny is endless.

But what if, for one year, or even one day, we allowed ourselves to be a blank page? A blank page contains no permanent lines forcing jumbled letters into a pretense of order, no black inked lists that must be completed, no squares to fill or boxes to tick, no red circled scars pointing to past mistakes, no traces of guilt or fear that mar the surface. Just a pure white expanse of fibers, full of expectation.

What if, this time around, we made no attempt to carry the weight of our history books past, but with each new day, we opened our eyes and saw only the wide-open expanse of unadulterated opportunity?

Here’s to a brand new page. Everyday.

A little note regarding today’s post: I know it may be hard to believe, but I often think about things other than makeup and what shade of the rainbow I’ll dye my hair next. For a long time I’ve wanted a spot to share some of those things. That’s why when I re-launched How to be Fancy I included a little tab at the top called “LIFE”. Starting this new year, I’ll be posting little snippets of life and a few random musings here and there. You’re welcome to read and share – or you can just skip to the lipgloss! Let me know what you think!