Top 3 Must-Have Fall Lip Products

I know I just did a Fall Favorites post, but I decided to do a series of my Top 3 of various products! I chose to not include my holy grail fall products, since I already discussed them in my last post, but if you're looking for some more variety in products, these will be the rest of my favorites in each category! Let's start with lips.

The first product is one of the Revlon Lip Butters, which is perfect for the chilly fall days. It is in the shade "Red Velvet," and is great for adding some color to your lips while hydrating them! The shade "Red Velvet" is a cool-toned, chocolatey red shade, that is pigmented, but not so opaque that it is at all high maintenance.

Next is a Lime Crime Unicorn Lipstick, which is their classic, best selling lipstick formula! The color I chose is "Poisonberry," which is a super vibrant, violety red color. I would almost say it's a very dark magenta color, but in reality it isn't all that dark. However, on dark skin tones, this lipstick is absolutely amazing! I personally love it, though, because I quite like the effect it gives on my pale skin.

Finally, who says that bright lips are only for the springtime? The Urban Decay Super-Saturated Lip Color in "Punch Drunk" is a vibrant, true red-orange color. It definitely leans more orange than red, though, so if you are self-conscious about any yellowing in your teeth, be careful with this color. However, if you love a statement lipstick that will really catch anybody's eye, try this lip color out!

What lip products are you loving this fall?

- D. 

REVIEW: Lorac Pro Palette 2 + GIVEAWAY!!!

I feel like I've been spending a lot lately. Because I'm addicted to shopping and makeup. It's a serious problem. I swore off of spending after my big splurge at PHAMExpo, but when I saw the Lorac Pro Palette 2 in stock at Ulta, I couldn't resist. My gut was just screaming at me to get it!

For $42, you get 16 shadows - 8 matte and 8 shimmer - as well as a mini Behind the Scenes Eye Primer. I'm not a huge fan of this primer, but for those who are new to makeup, it is nice that this palette comes with a primer in case you don't have one yet! 

Let's go straight on to the packaging.

This palette comes in a sleek matte charcoal gray packaging. It's very minimal, making it absolutely ideal for travel! It is a cardboard packaging with a magnetic closure, and nearly identical to the original Lorac Pro Palette, aside from, of course, the color of the packaging itself. 

The shadows themselves are laid out very cleanly, and you can easily tell which shade is which. The upper row consists of creamy matte shades, and the bottom row consists of shimmery shades. 

I'm not a huge fan of the mirror on this palette. Because of the floppy cardboard design, it's pretty much useless. It doesn't stand on its own so you will have to hold the mirror up to your face, but if you're in a sticky situation and this is the only mirror you have, it'll do the job!

Buff: A creamy matte light nude shade, perfect for blending, or highlighting. On lighter skin tones like mine, it would be a great blending color. On more medium skin tones, it would be a nice matte highlight. This shade will probably be too chalky-looking for dark skin tones.

Snow: A white, shimmery color. It is definitely a true white, and would be great for an inner corner highlight. It is incredibly smooth and pigmented, with little fall out. Normally I have trouble getting white shadows to appear on my skin, as they usually turn translucent, but I didn't have trouble with this one at all.

Light Brown: A matte brown shade that would be perfect to define the crease on more natural days. It's definitely a necessity for every makeup collection. It is very smooth and long-wearing.

Beige: A go-to shimmery champagne color. This shade is so buttery and beautiful. It would be an amazing all-over lid color as well as a great inner corner highlight. 

Cool Gray: I would consider this more of a taupe than a gray, but it is very matte with little fall out. Another great color for defining the crease. It blends easily without blending away completely and is very pigmented.

Rose: Probably my favorite shade in this palette (go figure), this is a shimmery rose gold shade that is just so buttery and beautiful.You barely have to touch the shadow to get amazing color payoff. 

Nectar: A matte peachy cream color that would be a nice transition shade. Not my favorite in the palette, as it is a bit chalky compared to the other mattes, but it is still a great shade for blending.

Mocha: This shade is kind of similar to "Rose," but quite a bit deeper and a bit more coppery. Again, an absolute dream to use and super creamy to the touch. 

Plum: A beautiful matte purple, but a bit chalky. It does tend to blend away if you aren't careful, so you will have to layer it up in order to truly get its full opacity.

Chrome: Such a beautiful color. This is kind of similar to "Cool Gray," only shimmery. It's a bit of a neutral brown with a silver sheen, and it's so absolutely stunning!

Navy: One of the most coveted shades in this palette from the second I saw it! This color is very, very pigmented and very, very matte. Because of those two pros, you do get the con of some fallout. Be sure to tap off the excess and use a nice primer and you'll be fine. It blends out to a pretty deep teal color. 

Silver: Exactly how it sounds, this color is just a traditional metallic silver shade. It works best with a primer underneath, and blends nicely without blending away completely. I can only imagine how amazing this shade would look if used wet!

Charcoal: Super soft and buttery and pigmented. Charcoal is pretty much the same color as the palette's packaging. It does tend to have a little bit of fallout, but nothing that can't be avoided by tapping off the excess before applying it.

Jade: Another coveted shade. This is such a pretty shimmery olivey green with just a hint of gold shimmer! This would be amazing for an earthy green smokey eye.

Black: Not the blackest of blacks I've used, but it does the job. This shade would probably work well wet, or to help smoke out any ordinary look. It is a bit chalky so be careful! This is the only repeat shade from the Lorac Pro Palettes.

Cocoa: Probably the most pigmented shade in the entire palette. This color is a shimmery cool brown and it blends like a dream while still staying vibrant! 

Say your prayers, Chocolate Bar Palette. This may be my new go-to palette. This is an amazing addition to the Lorac Pro family, and, from what I've seen, it's better than the original! I love the range of colors in this palette. It's neutral without being boring or traditional (step aside, Naked Palettes). 

Final Thoughts? Yes. Yes yes yes. For $42, you can't go wrong. Each color in this palette is creamy and intense. The "duds" are hardly duds at all, and even the chalkier shades are still creamy and pigmented. You could create a huge range of looks with this palette, and in the end, you're paying less than $3 for each of these shadows! 

- D.

p.s. It's giveaway time! I was a bit unsure on whether or not I wanted to do a giveaway of this palette. However, yesterday when I was playing with it, I realized I just HAD to! I am so in love with this palette, and last night I did a fun galactic-inspired look with it that just shows how versatile this palette really is. It definitely isn't an ordinary neutrals palette! Of course, here's a bad webcam photo of the look I did last night. I plan to do a tutorial of it soon!

 

I promise I was wearing clothes, I was just very hot and humid in my room! ;)

If you win this giveaway, you will receive the Lorac Pro Palette 2 as well as the Behind the Scenes Eye Primer that comes with it!

So here are the rules:

1. This giveaway is international! I will be choosing one winner at random via Rafflecopter.
2. If you are under 18, please get your parent or guardian's permission before entering this giveaway.
3. This giveaway will end on July 30th, 2014, at 12 AM, PST.
4. If you win and have not contacted me back within one week of the end of the giveaway, you will forfeit your prize and it will be given to the next runner up.

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to get your entries!

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REVIEW: Benefit They're Real Push Up Gel Liner Pen

I am obsessed with gel liners, and I love any product that comes in the ease of a pen. So when Benefit sent out their press email announcing the "They're Real!" Push Up Liner, I had to have it! I remember hearing about the Maybelline version of this a while back, but it wasn't released in the US, so I got even more excited knowing that finally a brand would sell a gel liner pen in the US.

Let's start with packaging.

The box is very similar to Benefit's best selling "They're Real!" Mascara, with claims that read:

• "91% said it was long wearing"
• "81% said it was waterproof"
• "86% said it hugged the lashline"
• "84% said eyes looked visibly larger"

The product comes in a  pen with a screw-on cap, which means that the cap won't accidentally pop off and make a mess. This makes this liner perfect for your on-the-go makeup bag! To dispense the product, you twist the bottom until product comes out. The first time I used this pen, it took probably 10 clicks to get the product out. After that, it takes 3-5 clicks to get product out.

On the box, you can find a description of their AccuFlex tip. It says "Custom soft, angled tip gets the matte black, smudge-proof liner close to your lash line." That's debatable. While I do like the softness of the tip, I struggled to get close to my lash line. When I dispensed the product, it would ball up on the end, and getting just the right amount of product was a bit of a challenge. 

I also really struggled to get a precise line with the applicator. When you first apply the liner after clicking a few times, it really just kind of clumps onto your lash line, and I often felt that I was just smearing it around with the silicone tip. It wasn't until there was almost no product on the tip that I could finally get a precise line, but then it wasn't exactly opaque.

In terms of longevity, it's pretty average, in my opinion. It is water resistant, but definitely not water proof. When rubbed with a wet finger, it did smudge, but it didn't completely come off. When using my Garnier Cleansing Micellar Water, it began to come off with little effort, which makes it seem quite silly that they are also selling an $18 remover gel to go with the "They're Real!" line. I've taken naps while wearing this liner (I know, bad Danielle), and it smudged like nobody's business, significantly worse than a lot of drugstore liners that I have slept in before.

Another thing I've noticed with this formula is that is flakes. A lot. After wearing this liner for maybe 3 hours, I would have friends come up to me to clean black chunks off my cheeks. While it does stay black and generally opaque all day, it tends to get a bit patchy due to the flakiness of the product.

Final Thoughts? I'm really disappointed that I dislike this product so much. I wanted to love it, I really did. But for $24, I can't really recommend this product. There are drugstore liners that do a much better job for a third of the price. I really wanted to be able to rave about this liner, but, once again, the "They're Real!" line has let me down. I feel like this liner is incredibly gimmicky, and honestly, it's going straight back to Sephora.

However, I will mention something. I received the "They're Real!" Remover as a sample when I purchased this liner, and I actually really like it. While I don't think I can justify paying $18 for a makeup remover, it does a beautiful job of removing waterproof makeup! Since it's summer and I've been super busy, I've switched to a waterproof mascara, and it makes my lashes look like I was never wearing mascara at all. 

What a bummer, huh? Do you have any products you just really wanted to love, but couldn't?

- D. 

Like GlamGlow, But Better!

If any of you are religious beauty YouTubers like I am, you've probably heard of the GlamGlow SuperMud Clearing Treatment. There is so much hype going on about this product, and of course, I just had to try it for myself.

Many, many samples later, this is what I've found:

This mask has many different alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids, as well as kaolin and charcoal to pull out the toxins and oils in your pores. You can actually see the spots on your skin where it's pulling out the sebum! Alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids really help your cell turnover, and slough off all the dead skin cells that cover up your beautiful, new skin. It leaves your skin looking healthy and glowing, and the results were noticeable the moment I washed off the mask. The texture of my skin was very soft and tight, but not uncomfortable, and any active blemishes appeared smaller and less inflamed than before. GlamGlow has a great sample pack, for only $11.99, that allows you to try out three of their products. I've used it a few times now, and the results are consistent with each use.

Now, as I was looking at the ingredients, one major thing that stuck out to me was, uh, sodium hydroxide. Which seriously makes my skin crawl. Sodium hydroxide is also known as lye. It is also the 4th ingredient on the list, only after water, kaolin, and magnesium aluminum silicate, which is a product thickener and essentially just a filler. If you didn't know, the order in which the ingredients are listed is based on how much of that ingredient is in the product. Therefore, there is more water than any other ingredient in this mask.

The point I'm trying to make is that there is a pretty substantial amount of sodium hydroxide in this mask. Sodium hydroxide can be extremely dangerous if not used with caution. It is a primary ingredient in many detergents, drain cleaners, etc, and, when mixed with water, can be used to decompose animal and human corpses (or for a more scientific source, click here). Now, sodium hydroxide could be a good thing, as it could easily dissolve a few top layers of skin. But that makes me wonder. Is that what makes this "miracle product" a miracle? To burn off the top couple layers of skin would bring forth new, refreshed skin, and with the addition of a ton of alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acid, as well as pyruvic acid (used for skin lightening), this is an overnight success story. You will see results instantly. However, I honestly can't imagine this being great for long-term use, especially with limonene, linalool, and benzyl benzoate packed in there simply to make it smell better. I almost  I figure that this is just a fad that will go as quickly as it came, especially with an incredibly high price tag of $69 for 1.2 ounces.

Now, onto my solution for my GlamGlow problem!

Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask. I am in love. This mask is so incredible. Origins has the slogan "Powered by Nature. Proven by Science," which drew me in. I am a sucker for natural ingredients in skincare products, and I have only heard good things about this brand. They recently had a tiny sample size of this mask as a 100 point perk at Sephora, and as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to try it. As soon as I tried it the first few times, I wanted more. I am definitely going to repurchase this once my deluxe sample runs out! That being said, you don't need a lot of product. I've used my small 1 oz sample at least 3 or 4 times now, and I'm pretty sure I still have enough for one more use. It runs at $24 for 3.4 ounces, which is a third of the price and three times the size of GlamGlow.

For me, it does the same thing as GlamGlow -- naturally. The ingredients list for this product is about half the size of the list for the GlamGlow mask, and I actually recognize most of these ingredients. There are four clays in this mask: kaolin, bentonite, montmorillionite, and of course, charcoal. Each of these clays is used to suck the toxins and oils from your pores, and montmorillionite is actually used to treat contact dermatitis. This mask also has an antioxidant called lecithin, which is found in all living organisms, and is a great moisturizer. The most "bizarre" ingredients I found in this product are the ingredients that keep the product from separating, none of which are really that scary.

Something that actually completely shocked me is that it is appropriate for different skin types. I have dry-combination skin, with patches of psoriasis, and since using this mask, I have noticed my psoriasis actually decreasing and the balance returning to my skin. Most masks like this just irritate my psoriasis and make it flare up, and make my dry patches even drier. My boyfriend, who has oily-combination skin, found that he had similar results. To him, it felt like the GlamGlow mask. For example, he could feel the tingling, like the sebum was being pulled out of his pores, just like the GlamGlow mask does! He also found that his skin felt fresh and tight (but not uncomfortable) after washing this mask off.

Product smackdown?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to sit here and bash one mask while praising another. If you like GlamGlow, and it works for you, more power to you! But I honestly can't comfortably recommend using that product long-term or daily, despite the "use as often as needed" direction on the packaging.

Final thoughts: GlamGlow? Not worth the hype. Origins Charcoal Mask? YES!

- d.

p.s Don't forget that there is still plenty of time to sign up for my Catching Fire giveaway!

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REVIEW: Anastasia DipBrow Pomade

Recently, Anastasia Beverly Hills, known for their incredible brow products, released a new product that caught my eye: DipBrow Pomade. Their website says, "Waterproof brow color ideal for sculpting, defining, and carving perfectly precise brows that won’t fade. Smudge-free, creamy formula glides on skin and adheres to hair. Must-have for oily skin and humid climates. Tighten cap to prevent drying."

Now, I don't typically have oily skin, but I do have oily lids, and I am a sucker for anything that claims to be waterproof, long-wearing, and smudge-proof. It also claims to be non-comedogenic. So when I first heard about this product, I decided I wanted to give it a try! I purchased the shade "Dark Brown," which is a neutral-toned brown.

The package arrived in a bright metallic blue bubble wrap envelope, and inside was the product as well as a travel size of their Clear Brow Gel. While I'm typically not the type of girl to complain when given free stuff (or not given free stuff), I would have very much liked to see even just a cheap little mini angled brush or something. It would have been convenient for anyone who doesn't already have a brush. However, onto the product itself!

In the "before" photo, you can see my naked brows. In the "after" photo, you can see my brows when the product has been applied. I used a synthetic angled brush to apply the product. Now what I discovered instantly is that a little bit goes a very long way. I love thick and defined Cara Delevingne-esque brows, but you definitely don't need a lot of product to fill in your brows. Now I decided to put it to the work day test.

I had a pretty normal work day, but my skin tends to get rather oily when I'm at work because of the air conditioning. Because of that, I usually find that my makeup tends to fade a lot, and I get very shiny. At the end of my day, about 7 hours later, I came to find that I looked like this: 

Why, yes, I am totally aware that I look like a hot mess. However, despite the oily face, my brows are still defined and in tact! 

I was going to just post these findings and give my review based on a normal work day, but then I decided I should really put it to the test. Some of my best friends and I went to a place in my city called Belmont Park, which is basically just a little boardwalk amusement park at Mission Beach. We first went to Belmont Park, and rode a few rides and played some games, then we went to the beach. We were probably there for a total of about 6 hours, but then we went over to one of my friend's houses and hung out in their jacuzzi for a good hour or two. After that, we went into her house and ate and watched a movie. I was out and about for 11 hours. 

Here is what I looked like at 10 AM...

And then again at 9 PM...

I think my brows still look pretty good after 11 hours against the sun, wind, and water! When I swatched the product on my arm, I let it set for about 30 seconds, and did a rub down test.

Swatched with dry hands.

After some really vigorous rubbing with wet hands.

And more vigorous rubbing, this time with my Sephora Collection Cleansing Water on a cotton ball.

All in all, I'd say I'm pretty impressed by this stuff! It holds up really well in some crazy conditions, and I would definitely trust this product to last. I would probably suggest using an oil-based makeup remover to get it off though, because I was rubbing my arm raw when I was trying to get it off with the cleansing water. Trust me, when I say "vigorous rubbing," I really was trying my best to get it off! 

As of right now, this product is only available online, at Anastasia.net, Sephora.com, and Ulta.com. On all three websites, it runs for $18, and I think it'd definitely worth the price, especially because you get a substantial amount of product! From what I've read, it should be released in stores in January 2014, so keep an eye out for it! 

- d. 

L'Oreal Color Riche Nail Color Update

About ten days ago, I posted about the two new Color Riche Nail Colors that I bought. They make a claim that the polish lasts 10 days, and I decided to put it to the test.

Okay, so I didn't really put it to the test, because my nail OCD unfortunately didn't allow me to. However, since that post, I have tried both shades that I purchased, "Eiffel For You" and "Charmed, I'm Sure." I can certainly say that "Eiffel For You" has impressed me. It is a gorgeous taupe creme color that is perfect for fall. It goes on so smoothly, and I wore it for 5 days before it started to barely chip. The chipping in the polish was barely noticeable and rather minor, but I had a job interview on what would have been the 6th day, so I removed the polish and in it's place applied two coats of "Charmed, I'm Sure," which is the rose gold polish I purchased.

In the photo, it doesn't quite appear as a rose gold, and that's because it's definitely a bit of a nude rose gold. It is much pinker in person than in photos, but it is absolutely gorgeous. I have said countless times that I look awful in rose gold, and I always wished I could jump on board with this trend, and now I finally can! 

Unfortunately, it isn't quite as opaque as "Eiffel For You." It does apply a bit unevenly, and I almost feel that two coats isn't enough for full coverage. It also definitely highlights the awful ridges in my nails, something that creme polishes typically don't do. However, this polish also lasted 5 days before it began to slightly chip. This time, I felt I was ready for a good manicure anyway, and took it off. But right after I was done with my nail regimen, I reapplied "Charmed, I'm Sure" all over again. It's definitely a gorgeous color and I'm so excited to finally be able to jump on board with this trend!

I think the #1 thing for me is that it lasts about a week before starting to chip. The reason I don't wear polish often is that I don't like having to deal with it after a couple of days when it has already begun to chip. L'Oreal's Color Riche Nail Color line is definitely a low maintenance nail color that comes in a huge variety of colors, and I definitely would recommend trying it out!

- d. 

REVIEW: Maybelline Color Sensational Color Elixir

Time for a quick review!

I recently saw this advertisement for the Maybelline Color Sensational Color Elixir, while watching Once Upon a Time with +Andrew, and when we saw the commercial, we could not stop laughing. Cosmetic commercials will always be hilarious to me. Regardless, I was intrigued. They described it as a "creamy lip lacquer." Personally, I love lip lacquers. I love the longevity of them, in comparison to lipsticks or glosses, and I love the pigmentation in them. So this commercial instantly made me curious to try them!

This is the model from the Maybelline website in the color "Signature Scarlet." The website reads, "Fall under the spell of the elixir effect...Hyper-saturated color, ultra cushiony feel...The new hypnotic lip sensation." 

A few days after seeing the commercial, I ran out to my local Walmart and purchased two of them -- one in "Signature Scarlet" and one in "Mauve Mystique."

There are 20 shades in the collection, ranging from nudes, to purples, to bright reds, and even a couple of orange and coral shades. I purchased "Signature Scarlet" because I'm always on the lookout for a good red, and the color in the picture was amazing. 

Today, I wore it out for the first time!

I must say, the opacity of this is phenomenal. I was absolutely shocked. It was so smooth, vibrant, and non-sticky. Sticky lipglosses are the #1 reason I don't typically wear lipgloss. I have noticed that this product doesn't swatch very well, but for some reason, it glides so beautifully on the lips. This red is a glossy, cool-toned red, and the mauve color is defined by "my lips but better." The colors do stain, so they are somewhat longwearing. In terms of full-on vibrancy, though, they last about 2 hours (if you aren't eating or drinking) before they being to fade. This is coming from someone who has an anxious habit of lip biting. 

Something I really loved about this product, though, is that when I took it off, my lips actually felt smoother. The commercial claims that it has an "addictive cushiony feel of a balm." I totally agree with that. After putting it on for the first time, I just kept rubbing my lips together and wanted to put on more and more product because it felt so nice and smooth when applied. 

Now for the negatives. This is a messy product. If you plan to wear this, bring a mirror with you to check for feathering and smears, because it will do both of those things. I am curious to see if using a lip pencil will help the feathering, but you do need to keep an eye on it if you are wearing it. 

All-in-all, I'd say this is a great product. It feels so nice when applied, and creates a beautiful, pigment-rich lip look. 

- d.

First post and October Favorites!

Hello! Sooo, as many of you may already know, I've been really into the whole beauty industry for quite some time now, and since I was 16, I have been the go-to hair and makeup artist for many of my friends, and friends' friends. When I was 18, I started in beauty school, where I primarily learned hair styling. About 6 months later, I realized it wasn't what I wanted to do with my career, and I left beauty school (insert "beauty school dropout" lyrics here). However, that has not stopped me from being passionate about the beauty industry! That's why I have decided to start posting my favorite beauty, fashion, and lifestyle favorites from month to month, just like a lot of my favorite YouTube beauty gurus. 

Let's start with a rediscovered favorite. 

L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense. This is my all-time favorite liquid liner. While I typically tend to go for cream or gel liners, Lineur Intense is perfect for just about any eyeliner look. I forgot about this liner for a while, but when I recently saw it in Target, the fire was rekindled. The sponge tip allows it to apply with ease and precision, and is different than the typical felt tip or brush applicators sometimes seen with liquid liners. It is flexible like a brush, which allows for ease of application, but thin and precise like a felt tip, which allows you to build up your liner from super fine to thick and bold. And if you're looking for a black liner, let me tell you. This one is...well, carbon black. In terms of wear time, it lasts and lasts and lasts. I have oily lids, and once this stuff is dry, it won't budge until I'm ready to take it off. But when wet, it is easy to manipulate, and if you mess up, no worries! Just take a wet cotton bud and it cleans up easily.

Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color -- Sugar Plum Fairy. This is a truly versatile lipstick. Not only is it the most gorgeous berry color, perfect for the fall, but it can easily double as a cream cheek color! This lipstick has been my favorite cheek color for October. Crazy, you say? Try it yourself! It has a semi-matte finish, with a creamy consistency, so it will not dry out your skin or make it look oily. Just rub the color between your fingers and pat it on your cheeks. Use a buffing brush or sponge to blend it, if your fingers aren't doing the job. This stuff does have a tendency to stain, so it will last! 

Maybelline The Mega Plush Volum' Express Mascara. I've never been a fan of the flaky, clumpy lash look, and I'm not blessed with super long, healthy lashes. This mascara is great for me. It definitely adds volume and length, without making your lashes look clumpy, AND it stays soft while holding a curl! To me, it's almost a "no-mascara" mascara. It feels nice on the lashes and is buildable. It is a very wet mascara when you first apply it, so if that's not your thing, skip it. I hear this mascara is typically a hit or miss, but for me, it's a hit.

Soap & Glory Hand Food Hydrating Hand Cream. Some of you may already know, I am a colorguard coach. As a colorguard coach, I am very hard on my hands. And now, going into these cooler months, my hands will really begin to feel the wear and tear. However, this hand cream has been my savior! I've seen it talked about a million times and I am in love. It smells divine. The smell alone would make me want to use it. But not only does it smell good, it is so creamy and rich! And it isn't the kind of creamy and rich that lingers on your skin so you can't do anything with your hands. It soaks in quickly and leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth. I have the travel size that I keep in my bag. 

Essie Nail Lacquer -- Vested Interest. Anyone who has followed me for a long time will know I'm not a fan of Essie nail polishes. I am so picky about polishes. I like them to be thick, but not goopy. Essie has a tendency to be too thin to achieve the opacity I like without pushing into 3-4 coats. However, Vested Interest is a gorgeous, teal gray creme that is opaque in 2 coats. Honestly, I don't know why I love this polish so much. I tend to stay away from blue-ish polishes, but this one has been on my nails nonstop since I purchased it. It has great staying power. As I said before, I work with my hands a lot, and this polish typically stays on for 5 days before beginning to chip. Maybe my bad Essie luck has changed? 

Bath & Body Works 3-Wick Candle -- Leaves. This is an autumn staple for me. Leaves is such an amazing scent. I even have the Scentportable for my car, and get compliments every single time someone new sits in my passenger seat (despite how messy my car actually is)! It is described as a "rich blend of golden nectar, red apple, and spiced berries." In the last month, I have burned it practically every night, and when B&BW had their 2 for $22 candle sale, of course I had to buy another one, as well as their Cinnamon & Clove Buds candle. I love pairing this with my Candle-lite Essential Elements Vanilla & Sandalwood candle (that's a mouthful), which I found at Rite Aid. Absolutely amazing, and it's burning as I type.

Charming Charlie Right On Rhinestone Watch -- Gunmetal. There isn't much I can say about this watch. Just a standard boyfriend watch with rhinestones in a gorgeous gunmetal color! I've been wearing this pretty much every single day since purchasing it. The cool thing about it was that I received a sizing kit with my purchase (basically a blunt thumb tack with instructions), so it fits just right for me now!

- d.