New Camera!

Hey guys! I am excited to announce that my mom got herself a new camera (for her food blogging purposes). She said I can use it as well! Yay! Here's a few random pics to demonstrate the quality. It's really quite beautiful. The camera is a Sony Nex-3, I believe.

My mess of a makeup set up.

The fake sunflowers on my hutch!

Some school textbooks.

The top of my hutch: earrings and some cute erasers.

Couple side notes if you're interested:

• I really want to have a giveaway soon! I have a couple prizes, but I need more. Also, I need an excuse (ha ha). 50 followers (could do it now), 100 followers (that'll be a while!), 1 year blog-iversary? (That would be April.) 
• I'm getting a haircut after New Years - it'll be my first in over a year! I'm thinking four inches off the bottom and some layers.

All for now! Hope your holidays are going well!

Love, Val

Hypnose Drama Insanity + Ramble

  Hi girls! As you probably have noticed by now... I changed my blog background! The old template was getting incredibly glitchy and annoying, so I had to switch. What do you think? Did you like the old one better? Any changes you recommend?

  On to our main topic of conversation: Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara. Now, I am not kidding when I say it is crazy. It makes my eyelashes look completely fake. Insane! Unfortunately the good camera is unavailable at the moment, so I apologize for the poor quality. But you'll just have to trust me on this one.

One quick coat of Hypnose Drama vs. bare lashes

Zoom in of right eye

Zoom in of left

  It multiplies, thickens, and lifts like no other mascara I've tried before. Definitely a must-try. However, I don't know if I would buy it; mine was a mini I got for a free gift with purchase. It's definitely not an everyday mascara - save this one for events only!

  In other Lancome news - I'll be using a Lancome Duo for a holiday look soon. Here's a sneak peek!

Okay, all for now. See you all soon!

Love, Val

P.S. My mom is upgrading her camera - in a couple weeks or so, you can look forward to much better quality pictures. No more webcam pics, hopefully! :)

What I've Been Loving

Hey girls! This was going to be a November Faves, but now we're a week into December. So here's my "What I've Been Loving" post :)

Face
My new foundation routine (pictured) consists of Stila Perfecting Concealer in 'C' on blemishes and undereyes, then a quick dusting of gloMinerals Loose Base in 'Natural Light.' Effortless, and very natural looking. I like how it feels like I don't have makeup on!

Eyes
I've been wearing plum/mauve tones on my eyes recently (I've been told that it brings out my coloring). First, I lightly sweep gloMinerals eyeshadow in Blackberry up to the crease, then follow up with a coat of Benefit Bad Gal Plum mini mascara.

Lip/Cheek
I am in love with Benefit's BeneTint; it's a beautiful liquid cheek color in a rosy shade, great for a "caught in a snowstorm" flush. I've been wearing it on the cheeks, and then applying just a bit to the lips for a slight stain.
In other lip news, I've slowly worked lip glosses back into my makeup routine! Pictured are Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing gloss in Raspberry, Revlon Super Lustrous in Pink Pop, and Nars Turkish Delight - but I love a lot of glosses.  :)

Hair
I've been doing a super-lazy style a lot recently: quick low bun with my hair parted on the side, but to add some flair I braid two tiny sections beforehand. I think it makes it look a little more deliberate, no?

Random

Nutella Hot Chocolate is delicious! (I learned from the lovely missglamorazzi's video recipe.) Basically, you heat up 1 cup of milk on the stove and whisk in 2 T Nutella spread. Now, you may think this would lead to an overly sweet, cheap tasting hot chocolate, but it doesn't! The result is delicious; somehow it ends up with a very sophisticated nutty taste. Mmm. I have literally been having one a day.

 All for now! What have you been loving?

Love, Val

Rave: Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Glosses

  Hey all! So several months ago, I picked up Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Coral Reef. It was the perfect summer color, and I absolutely fell in love with the formulation (I usually prefer lipsticks to glosses, but this is an exception). Recently I decided to get the color Pink Pop as well, and turns out I love it even more! Read on for some swatches and features of my new favorite glosses.

Coral Reef on top, Pink Pop below

Coral Reef on left, Pink Pop on right

Sheer application of Coral Reef

Sheer application of Pink Pop

   Features:
  -Excellent pigmentation; the swatches above we just one quick swipe from the applicator.
  -Doe foot applicator applies an even coat.
  -Perfect balance between sticky and oily - I love the formula! SPF 15.
  -Great color choices - I haven't tried any of the other ones yet,  though I want to.
  -Buildable color. One swipe across the lip makes for a natural tint (as pictured); apply to both lips and you'll achieve an almost-lipstick effect.
  -Pink Pop and Coral Reef contain no shimmer, and are just glossy enough.
  -Very elegant, sturdy packaging. Reminds me of Estée Lauder packaging.

  All in all, the glosses are definitely a favorite for me. Buy at any drugstore, or on drugstore.com for $7. That's all for today! What's your favorite lip gloss?

   Love, Val

Face of the Day: Birthday Edition!

  Hey everyone and happy Thanksgiving! Today is also my birthday, so I figured a face of the day is appropriate. I did a "classic me" look - I use these products all the time! I think it's important not to look like  a completely different person on your birthday, no?

Face:
Revlon Colorstay foundation in Nude  (mixed with moisturizer)
Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer (on blemishes)
Maybelline Dream Matte Powder (lightly dusted all over)
Nars Dolce Vita Blush (on apples of cheeks)

Eyes:
Maybelline Cream Shadow Quad in Natural (middle shade all over lid, light shade as highlight)
L'Oreal Telescopic Clean Definition Mascara (on curled lashes)

Lips:
Nars Dolce Vita Lipstick

I've had a great day so far, including some really awesome presents (like a Sephora gift card and Philosophy minis!). On Sunday I'm heading over to Sephora for my beauty insider birthday freebie. :)
What are your Thanksgiving plans?


Love, Val

Happy Halloween! ♥

Hello girls!
  Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays... I love the candy, the costumes, and the all-around silliness that comes with it!

My sister carved this pumpkin a week ago... as you can see it didn't hold up well!

  So... what am I being for Halloween?! I decided to go for something easy, and went as three-hole-punch Jim from the TV show The Office (fellow viewers will know that the character Jim went as a three-hole-punch version of himself in one of the Halloween episodes by gluing three black circles to his white shirt). Silly, I know, but that's how I am!

Makeup: Simple, of course, as I am going as a guy... haha :) Just some concealer, powder, and blush (I couldn't resist!) on the cheeks, temples, and tip of the chin.
Hair: Pulled back. I wouldn't dream of cutting it!
Costume: White shirt, "Hello my name is... Jim" nametag, tie, three black construction paper circles down the side (to look like hole punches!). Paired with jeans and sneakers.

That's all I did for my costume! Later tonight I'm going to hand out candy and trick-or-treat with a couple friends.

What are you going as for Halloween? What's your makeup like?

Have a safe and happy Halloween!
Love, Val

P.S. I have a Twitter account! Follow me for random <140 character ramblings @vals_tweets.

Drugstore Haul/Update!

  First order of business. I am SO, SO sorry it has been too long!! I was on a quick vacation, then right after high school started. I've been carried away with homework, studying, and my new health kick! But I really missed you guys, so here I am. :)
  Over the last month or so I've accumulated quite a bit of drugstore makeup, and I am so impressed with most of it! Quick haul/review for you guys. Then, I hope to return to my one or two posts a week schedule. :)

R

Face

• Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation (50 soft beige) - This is an amazing foundation! Possibly my new "it" foundation. As in, the one I will wear year round. Glowy, leaves skin soft, just the right amount of coverage (I don't use concealer with it). I have used it consistently every day for the past month and still love it!
• Maybelline Dream Matte Powder (medium sand) - Not cakey, not drying - it's just an awesome powder that's very effective for mid-day mattifying, or when I decide to go matte!

Eyes

• L'Oreal HIP Shadow Duos - They really are super well pigmented! (See swatches below.) I think they're really cute and MAC-esque. I have Mystical, a crystal formula, and a Sculpted, a metallic formula. Only $8 for such great pigmentation, so they're fun to experiment with color.
• Wet N Wild Trio in Walking on EggShells - My cousin and I had a five dollars to spend at the drugstore, so we stuck to Wet N Wild. I had never tried their eyeshadows. I assumed they were chalky and badly pigmented, but picked up a trio anyway. All I can say is, wow. Silky, pigmented, and just high-quality feeling! Be careful about dropping, they're soft! 
• Wet N Wild Eyeliner in Black - At $1, it is surprisingly well pigmented! It's not that super-creamy, kohl Urban Decay/Stila/MAC feel, but it's much better than the CoverGirl liner I had used previously - it's a true black line without pressing too hard.

Lips

•  Wet N Wild Lip Gloss - Okay, so this one's not special. But it's a super sheer fuchsia, so it looked fun. :) 

Okay, all for now. I appreciate all of you lovely followers and I will be posting more. :)
Love, Val

Left to right, top to bottom: HIP Duo in Sculpted (pink and dark purple), HIP Duo in Mystical (aqua and yellow), Wet N Wild trio in Walking on Eggshells (white, brown, and pink)

 

 

 

Rambly Update + More!

Hi blogging universe!
  So I'm going on a one-week vacation to the lake! We're leaving tomorrow and I'll get to see a bunch of friends I only get to see once a year, it's going to be super fun! I'll be back Sunday (the day my giveaway ends, August 1st). Please no entries after then. I'll randomly generate a winner and hopefully have it up August 2nd. Just wanted to explain why I won't be posting for a bit!
  To entertain you in this otherwise boring post... here's a peek into my makeup bag for the trip!

Picture credit goes to my laptop, haha :)

  As you can see, nothing exciting. A comb and some hair ties; a natural-looking lip color; Nars Orgasm blush (my favorite along with Benefit's Coralista); a powder; Sephora tinted moisturizer and a L'Oreal foundation; a travel brush set (that little silver tube in the brush section); a retractable Sephora foundation brush; CoverGirl LashBlast Volume mascara; Demeter Orange Juice perfume, a lip gloss, and some other goodies. Sounds like a lot, but it doesn't look like a lot on, promise! (Hidden from view: CoverGirl Shimmering Sands trio.)
  I've made a shocking discovery recently! A lot of the foundations that I selected somewhat haphazardly are so wrong for my skin tone. Some swatches:

  Sorry for the bad picture quality, but hopefully you get the gist.
  See how some of them just blend into my skin, while others sit on top of it? Can't be good!
  Well, now that I have a well-concealed left arm, let me know if you've ever gotten a horribly bad color for your foundation, and I will see you all in a week!
  Love, Val