Subscription Service Spotlight: SCENTBIRD

Do you love perfume? 

Do you wish you could try out different designer scents? 

Do you wish you could do that without spending $50- $100 for each bottle? 

If you answered "YES!!!" to any of these questions, then I've found the BEST subscription service for you! Haha, I sound like a TV commercial, but seriously, I really love them.

Scentbird

Can you tell how excited I am by this company?! Haha! I've been a Scentbird customer for 6 months now, and I'm just as obsessed as I was when I first signed up.  I get so excited when my new one comes in the mail! They are the only subscription service that has really caught my attention because you get such an awesome deal. For only $14.95 a month, you get a 30 Day supply of designer perfume to try! Once you go to their website and sign up, as part of that process just like other personalized subscription services, you complete a 'scent profile' survey so they can give their recommendations for you based on your taste and current perfume loves and preferences.  I've been happily surprised with what they've suggested for me, but you can also browse and pick from their entire collection.  

I think Scentbird are so clever and original because you get enough perfume to actually wear and try day after day (not this "2 spritz and it's gone" sample size silliness)  This gives you enough time to decide if you really want to commit to purchasing a full size bottle.  And if you're someone like me who loves to try many different scents, it's even better because you constantly get to update your perfume wardrobe.  I'm honestly in love with this service because they are continually updating their scent base, so you have new designer perfumes to choose from.  P.S. This is also a great gift idea for a loved one!

Their cute, easy to use packaging is the perfect size to throw in your handbag which is so convenient and handy, I love it.

I'm so happy I signed up with them and if you do too, I'm sure you will be just as hooked as me ;)  CLICK HERE if you'd like 25% off of your first perfume!

Matte Smokey Eye: Face of the Day

I wanted to share the product breakdown for this look I did this week -  it was a super simple matte smokey eye and I liked how it turned out.  It was honestly so easy, and Luke complimented me that morning so you know I memorized what I used so I could recreate it again ;)  I was using several new Drugstore releases that I've recently picked up and I thought it would be a good way to talk about those too!  

Complexion: I used my all time favorite moisturizer Aveeno Positively Radiant, I've used this for years and it's awesome! This morning, I forgot to apply primer (!!whaat?) and because of that, you can still see where I have enlarged pores around my cheeks and some fine lines/texture.  I wanted to show my skin's actual texture so you could see how products sit on top.  

I used the new Rimmel London Lasting Finish 25Hour Foundation with Comfort Serum.  I've only had this about a week, and I'm liking it so far.  It's a thicker texture, and goes on to give a natural satin like finish. It gives amazing coverage, but did feel a little heavy at first when applied with a buffing brush.  I much preferred the application when I used a sponge.  I did notice a little oil peeking through my makeup after about 4 hours so I did touch up with some translucent powder but overall it held up well in the heat.  

To set everything I lightly used the NYX Color Correcting Powder in Banana and added MAC Pro Shaping Powder in Emphasize under my eyes and across my cheekbones for a subtle highlight.

For warmth and contour I used Bare Mineral's All Over Face Color in Faux Tan - this is a holy grail, especially during the summer months, it looks so natural!

My lips are NYX Butter Gloss in Eclair (LOVE these! They are my all time favorite lip gloss formula!)

 Smokey Eye: I used all Makeup Geek Eye Shadows - (don't be confused, mine are in a MAC Palette) :) I used Vanilla Bean all over the lid and brow bone, Beaches and Cream in the crease as a transition and Barcelona Beach all over the lid.  I used Corrupt to add depth to the outer corner and to smoke out my eyeliner (as much as I could).  

For eyeliner, I used the new Cover Girl Intensify Me Liquid Liner on my upper lash line.  This is a cool product in that you can create different effects and alter how thick your line is depending on how you hold the product but it's not my favorite.  I do love how black and pigmented it is, however - I'm used to using Gel eyeliner which you can build up and smoke out, this product simply flakes off if you try and go over the same place twice :( You can see in the image below that I couldn't get my liner to be perfectly even and I stopped trying because it kept flaking off! Lol, the struggle was real that day.  So if you're someone who is fantastically talented with liquid eyeliner and gets a perfect wing with one flick of your wrist, then you'll love this but it's not the easiest formula to work with in my opinion.  I used Marc Jacob's Gel Highliner on my upper and lower waterlines and smoked out the lower lash line with Barcelona Beach.  I LOVE this eyeliner! 

For Lashes I used the Christina #43's .  They are said to be the exact same as the Red Cherry #43 lashes but cheaper! 

For my brows, I used ABH Dip Brow Pomade in Blonde. 

I completed my look with the new Hard Candy Makeup Setting Spray.

May Beauty Favorites!

May was one of my favorite months so far this year! Not only does my birthday fall in May, but we started our veggie garden and we get to see more sunshine and my countdown to summer begins! Yessss. My fiance and I also had the pleasure of attending and helping behind the scenes at my gorgeous Best Friend's wedding which was so, so fun.  I can't wait to share her bridal look! Stay tuned ;)

I discovered and tried out several new products during the month of May which I've been loving and wanted to talk about and share!



First up -  Cover FX Custom Cover Drops.Oh this product is awesome!! I'm sure you've all heard all about these little drops, they've been pretty popular on social media and in the YouTube world lately, and for good reason.  I've used mine solidly for over a month and I'm in love.  So for any of you that don't know - custom cover drops are pure pigment NOT a traditional foundation full of fillers, and ingredients that combine in a formula aimed at doing a particular thing (matte, luminous, poreless finish etc).  You can add these drops to ANY product you like - be it: foundation, concealer, moisturizer, primer, oil, ANYTHING and it will instantly turn that product into a "foundation" for you with customizable coverage and they DO NOT change the integrity of the product you mix them into.  I think this is the best concept ever because you can add 1-4 drops to anything you like (and already own) and create your own product! I usually always add to a foundation or BB Cream I love, to add more coverage on days I need it and can't wait to explore using them with my moisturizers during the summer months.  They come in a huge color range to suit all skin tones and you don't have to stop there - you could even get a darker color to add to a winter foundation and save yourself $ on buying multiple shades! 

I've had nothing but good luck with this so far, it's worth a try (and the $44 price tag)! In fact, Cover FX as a brand is AWESOME and promote skin health above all else.  They carefully develop their products with the aim of improving your skin and all of their range is "Free of the Inflammatory 5: parabens, fragrance, gluten, mineral oil and talc".  Check them out! 


Makeup Geek Eyeshadows - I recently placed an order with Makeup Geek (why the heck did it take me SO long?!) and I've been using her (Marlena's) shadows for the last few weeks (and for my bridal look on my friend) and they are amazing.  They are cheaper than MAC shadows, $5.99 each pan, and just as good of quality (some argue even better) than those.  I only own a few MAC shadows, so can't speak too much on that comparison, but in and of themselves, MUG shadows are lovely.  They blend nicely, build up well and last on the eye well.  I am obsessed with her foiled eyeshadows.  They are a little more pricey at $9.99 each pan, but SO worth it.  They are creamy, metallic and super pigmented.  I am slowly going to grow my collection because I literally want every single product she's created.

PS.  I store mine in a MAC palette (because it was $8 and I already owned it so didn't want to have to buy a Z Palette) and you can too! I simply added some adhesive magnets to the bottom and voila! all my MUG shadows now stay strongly attached (even through travel!)




NYX Micro Brow Pencil - I have purchased this in several different shades, and use them myself and in my kit and they're great.  Again, people have compared them to the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, but I've never owned that product so can't compare other than the obvious similarities in packaging. I love that there's a spooly on the other side of the product which helps when you're doing your makeup in a hurry.  I think its quick and easy to use, holds up well and looks more natural than other pencils I've used for the brows which tended to be too creamy and soft. For half the price of the ABH one, they're worth a try!





As for Skincare favorites - I made my own! I'm a huge believer in DIY projects when it comes to skincare, bath & body and beauty.  I love when you can find cheaper/natural ingredients and combine them to suit your own needs and avoid all the icky chemicals and hefty price tags.  One of my favorite products I make is my night time moisturizer.  I use Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil and Essential Oils. 

You mix everything together and boom, you have yourself a natural facial oil! My skin soaks this up, and feels amazing in the morning.  I swore by this when I traveled to Europe over Christmas, I used this on the plane and every night for 2 weeks and my skin NEVER BROKE OUT. This never, ever happens when I travel, and I credit it to this little combo.  

I recycle and use a 1oz Jar, and fill it 3/4 with coconut oil, add about a teaspoon or so of Jojoba Oil and 5-10 drops of each essential oil (depending on your skin/scent preference you can add however many you like!) and then a little more coconut oil to fill the jar and stir everything until combined.  Pop it in the fridge to firm up for a few minutes and you're done! I love to combine Frankincense, Tea Tree, Lavender & Lemon.  All of these have skin healing and soothing benefits and properties that my skin loves.  I've used Young Living EOs in the past and I'm currently using Mountain Rose Herb's (awesome quality, value, price!)

PS.  My skin is combo/oily and as I've mentioned before, using oils as moisturizers for the past few years has helped combat the oil production of my skin - bonus!

Beauty Shopping Favorite of the past month has definitely been www.Glambot.com

I felt like I had to mention them because I've placed several orders from Glambot and have been happy with them all! Glambot is a website which you can use to buy and sell pre-owned/used makeup products (for a discount!).  Sounds kinda weird at first, but think about it - how many products do you buy (if you're a junkie like me!) and then forget about in your drawers? I bet we've all done that.  And with Glambot you can sell those items or pick them up at a discount! I've found some total gems on the site, and when the products arrive, they don't even look used. Glambot sanitizes and seals all their products so you know they care about hygiene.  They sell a huge range of designer, high end brands, including limited edition products.  I've found great items, especially for my kit - you have to act quickly though because their 'new arrivals' section is updated daily and products sell out fast! Go check them out!