NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Cordura

I was at my local Sephora the other day looking at my favorite section for some new eyeshadows. Of course, NARS is my favorite aisle at my Sephora, and their products never seem to disappoint. I swatched a few of the singles, then some of the duos, and this set really caught my eye. The eyeshadow on the left side of the duo is a rich, warm shimmery bronze color, which is the more wearable of the two. It's a great color to wear on its own all over the lid and is great for daywear. My favorite of the two, however, is by far the one on the right. It's a very very sophisticated black coffee color concentrated with lots of golden shimmer. This is a GORGEOUS color for nighttime. I like to wear it in the crease and on the lower lashline, then I pack it on in the outer V area. These colors go together perfectly to make a deep and dramatic brown smokey eye, but when worn very sheerly, could almost pass as neutrals. NARS shadows are EXTREMELY PIGMENTED and blend so beautifully. Generally, what you see in the pan is what you get on your eyelids, when applied with the proper brushes over the right eyeshadow base. Cordura is such a gorgeous duo and I find myself grabbing for it pretty often. Soooooo, is anyone else currently OBSESSED with this eyeshadow duo from NARS right now too?!?! What's your favorite color of the two? :]

NARS Striptease Lipgloss

I have been complete obsessed with this lipgloss ever since I first got it!!! The nude lip look is by far my favorite look for lips, and I wear it religiously, using all different kinds of products, depending on my mood. The NARS website calls Striptease a "candlelight nude." It really is... It's a gorgeous pale beige with just a touch of pink, with a very very fine pearlescent shimmer laced throughout it. It's gorgeous over any nude or pink lipstick, but it's also pigmented enough to be worn on its own. I love the consistency of NARS lip glosses because they are long-lasting but I don't find them to be very sticky at all, and they're actually pretty moisturizing. Striptease is my go-to nude lip glosses right now, because it adds such a nice dimension to the lips and doesn't really give that corpse-ish/concealer lips appearance. It really doesn't have a scent or flavor, some people complain that it tastes like plastic though. It's $24 but it's totally worth it, because it usually takes me a while to completely use a whole lip gloss, and I'm just soooooo in love with NARS products right now :] So, anyone else use Striptease lip gloss? What do you usually pair it with?

MAC Carbon Eyeshadow

Carbon eyeshadow by MAC is one of those staples that we all seem to have in our makeup bag, but never really seem to glance over twice. It's just a flat, matte black. No shimmer, no glitter, nothing amazing really. But what I LOVE about it is that it gives depth and drama. Life would be so boring without deep, dark smokey eyes! I love this stuff because it's got the perfect amount of pigmentation. It's not too dark, but not too grey. I love using it all over the lid up into the crease for a perfect simple smokey eye. Black eyeshadow all over the lid is just so vampy and glamorous and sophisticated, especially with a glossy nude lip :] Sometimes I just like to apply it in certain places, like on my lower lashline, or just in my crease, and it's perfect for setting eyeliner on the waterline. It's not the MOST pigmented black eyeshadow ever, but that's not such a bad thing- it's easier to blend :] I can even use Carbon very very lightly to shade in my eyebrows if I need to... If I feel like my eye makeup is boring or underwhelming and I need to kick it up a notch, I'll take a pencil brush or a fluffy blending brush and apply some of this stuff in my outer V area and blend it a bit. This shadow is so overlooked, but it really has a LOT more uses than w give it credit for, and I couldn't see myself NOT using it on a daily/nightly basis. I love the staying power that this stuff has too. Use it with the right primer, and it'll stay on all day and all night :] Sooooo who else loves this shadow? Anyone else use Carbon all the time? How do you incorporate it into your eyeshadow looks? :]

MAC Strobe Cream: Light and Luminous

MAC's Strobe Cream has recently become one of my absolute favorite multi-purpose skincare products!!! It's an amazing lightweight moisturizer, and it contains numerous vitamins, antioxidants, and green tea extract. It prepares my skin for foundation by smoothing it out and evening out my skintone. It also contains iridescent particles that enhance the appearance of skin, making it look fresher and brighter. I like that it'll make you glow but it's not overly shimmer. Since it does have an iridescent quality, I also like to use it as a very subtle highlight. Sometimes I mix a little of it into my foundation if I want to look just a little more glowy and dewy and not as matte. It's seriously one of the greatest products MAC has in it's permanent skincare line and will have you instantly looking luminous. It's $30 for 1.7 oz but should last you a while because you really don't need to use that much of it to see it's effects. Anyone else use MAC's Strobe Cream? What's your favorite MAC skincare product?

MAC Studio Fix: Powder Plus Foundation

This has been my favorite powder foundation for YEARS now. I think I picked up my first compact of it when I was just in high school. I've had an on-and-off-again relationship with this product, but somehow, I always seem to go back to it. I love it so much, I tend to keep back-ups of it all over the place. I love it because you can use it very sheerly just to help even out your skin-tone just a little bit, you can use it to set your liquid or cream foundation, you can use it to blot your oily spots when you get shiny, you can use it to conveniently touch up throughout the day, and so much more :] I've tried many many many different powder foundations, from YSL to Shiseido to Chanel to Dior to Smashbox to Maybelline... and I must say, I love the quality and quantity of Studio Fix Powder Foundation compared to lots of the other ones I've tried. It has great coverage, if you put enough of it on, in conjunction with the right primer, can have you looking flawless<333 I don't make the cake-iness that it sometimes imparts. It sucks oil up very well... you don't have to worry about being shiny when you have this stuff sitting around :] It's easy to apply so it makes foundation application on-the-go very easy, and it's nowhere near as messy or high-maintenance as liquid foundation. It's one of MAC's most popular products and it comes in a myriad of shades sure to match anyone with skin. I like to apply it with a large fluffy powder brush to keep it from looking too thick but you can apply it with a sponge to get better coverage. Sooooo... Do you use MAC's Studio Fix Powder Foundation? Or do you find it to be to heavy or cakey? Tell me your thoughts :]

NARS Orgasm Blush: A Shimmery Golden Afterglow

NARS Orgasm blush has been a staple in my makeup collection for a few years now... I remember hearing lots of hype about how the product gives you the perfect flushed look and that it looks amazing on every skin-tone. I have to agree. Though NARS does have very many colors and textures of blush, I totally believe that their Orgasm shade is universally flattering and I absolutely LOVE the gorgeous super-fine gold shimmer it deposits on the cheeks. Orgasm is a beautiful, warm pink-peach-coral color, it's highly pigmented, and, like all blushes, can be worn as a sheer wash over the apples of the cheeks, or deposited much heavier with a denser brush for a more dramatic look. I have found that very many companies have tried to duplicate Orgasm blush, but no one can hold a candle to this cult favorite. The texture, the pigmentation, the blendability, the lasting power, the gorgeous golden shimmer, the packaging... All of these factors add up to create the most sought-after product of the NARS cosmetics line. I must admit, I don't grab for this product very often, but when I do, I am reminded why this blush is just SO POPULAR!!! How can you not love Orgasm?!?!? :] Do you wear Orgasm often? How do you like it on your skin tone? Do you like it better than Super Orgasm? How do you usually wear this blush? Let me know if you LOVE this color too<3333