All's Fair in Love & Wardrobe by Stephanie Simons | A Book Review

So I’m sitting here writing this amazing review (well I don’t know if the review is amazing, but the book sure is) on a completely fabulous book in one of the least fabulous places... the Laundromat. I was contacted by the amazing Stephanie Simons and asked if I wouldn’t mind reading and possibly reviewing her new book All’s Fair in Love & Wardrobe. Stephanie's work has been featured in Cosmo, InStyle, US Weekly, & ELLE. She's basically Carrie Bradshaw 2.0, and Manolo Blahnik himself seems to agree with that statement as well! Stephanie was also on The Bachelor, and countless pageants so needless to say I was thrilled over the moon when I got this amazing opportunity! Ever since I could read and write I've been writing stories. When I was young random people who met me would tell me that one day I'd be a writer. My passion for reading and writing has never left me and I just want my readers to know how much I appreciate them for allowing me to have a small platform to share my own thoughts and opinions. 

I know this isn’t typically the kind of material I post, but I believe that it is definitely relevant to my readers. Most of us are girls women in our twenties (or that’s how I picture us, of course there are older and younger bloggers whom I ADORE). And with this glorious age of finding ourselves, our passions, and our significant others, a book like All’s Fair in Love & Wardrobe is just what we need to lighten things up a bit.

I would like to preface any further information with the fact that this book is not only eloquently written, but also beautifully illustrated. The obviously talented Malia Carter makes reading a book seem like you’re entering into an enchanting world of pastels and designer dressing rooms. So if sitting down and reading a 336 page book doesn’t seem like your cup of tea please don’t judge a book by it’s cover (ha-ha look at me being so punny, that is a pun isn’t it? Maybe just irony?! Who even let this girl write a blog in the first place?!).

Reading All’s Fair in Love & Wardrobe was comparable to having a conversation with a fashion editor. Written in the form of rules, this book covers everything from how to date, who to date, and how amazing women are in general. I know exactly how disheartening it can be for us single girls today. You go out on so many bad dates, or you just plain old can’t find someone who gives you goose bumps. But please, don’t give up! Somewhere out there is a guy just as amazing as this year’s fashion week.

Rule 53 is actually something that I feel like a ton of women my age struggle with. Of course deep down you are really happy for your friends and you want nothing but the best for them. The fact that they have finally found that amazing guy who opens doors, cooks, and actually cares about their feelings gives you hope. But at the same time it is also disheartening, questions start to flash through your mind like; is she better than me? Is she a nicer person? What is she doing that I’m not? And trust me these can go on for days. But you have to have faith in your own path. And know that sometime (soon I’m sure) you will find a guy who is perfect for you and in the meantime try to be genuinely happy for your friends and peers because one day they may be in the same shoes you’re in and I’m sure you’ll want them to be a little jealous happy.

One of my favourite things about this book is that I feel like it was personally written for me. And as amazing as I am I know that it wasn’t and that a lot of us are just going through the same crap. Now you may not pen a million dollar album or book out of your breakup (although I have total faith that you could), try to take solace in the fact that hundreds of thousands (maybe even millions) of your sisters are going through the same stuff that you are and this community will always be here to support you and help you get through those rough breakups, lonely nights, and dateless Fridays.

If you enjoy flawless pictures, witty banter and topics that will have you feeling like you’re chatting with your blatantly honest best friend, then I suggest you go get yourself a copy of All’s Fair in Love & Wardrobe available here at Barnes & Noble and here on Amazon! You can follow the amazing Stephanie Simons here on twitter!

xoxo

-A

**Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, all opinions are 110% my own. The ebook was sent to me for consideration for review.

Sephora Haul & Review // Part 2

I am so excited to do this review for you guys! Here we have the Naked Basics palette, now I know this palette has been out for awhile but I only recently decided it was necessary to belong in my collection! Well boy let me tell you I am glad I decided to purchase it! I'm sure the texture and colours are really similar to the other Naked palettes but I love how small and compact this one is. The colours are all very wearable and practical. Naked 2 is just amazing I can use it for contouring my nose or my brows (since I have such pale skin and blonde hair). The texture of the shadows is hands down perfection. Exactly how I prefer them, opaque, creamy, and blend like butter on a fresh piece of bread. I know the $33 price tag may be a bit much, but honestly once you've committed yourself to a few high-end makeup brands, you're in. Now a day's I actually actively justify spending that kind of money. If I went out to the movies and or dinner I would easily spend that and have nothing to show for it. So I'd rather have a beautiful palette like this in my collection. And on that note let me tell you, if you're thinking of purchasing a higher end palette but don't want anything crazy just yet, buy. this. palette. Just do it.

And to prove just how much I've been loving this, here are some pictures of myself modelling the colours (I've been wearing my makeup like this everyday this month basically)!

  

Venus on the lid, Naked 2 in the crease, and Faint in the outer V!

xoxo

-A

Sephora Haul & Review | Part 1

I apologize for for the lack of posts the last week or so, but I've been out of my normal routine so to speak. However, there is a silver lining to this small hiatus! I have been trying a ton of new products and I am here and ready to go with a full set of reviews! I had initially planned to do a large Sephora haul/ review post, but after doing some further thinking I feel as though it would be best to break it down to 3 smaller posts!

So here is part 1 of my Sephora haul and review! I want to start off with a product I was extremely excited for. The Limited Edition Tarte Amazonian Clay Eyeshadow Palette! The colours look amazing and the packaging is seriously beautiful. The consistency of the shadow's is pretty good, not as "creamy" as I usually like, but still pretty easily blend-able. The only negatives I have to say are the colours are meh, nothing that makes me really excited to try out or that I don't already have in any of my other palettes. I am also disappointed in the opaqueness of the shadows, while they are by no means sheen, the sparkly colours lose their shade and end up looking purely like glitter. But alas, I am really enjoying a few shades and it I'm sure I will find some great uses for this palette. If you would like to see swatches just leave a comment below and I can add them in part 2!

Also, I have been nominated for the Leibster award from two lovely readers/ bloggers however since I have already been nominated once before I think I will do something different and possibly start my own tag or do another tag! So stay tuned for that!!

xoxo
-A

My Daily Skincare Routine

I finally feel confident enough in my daily regime to bring you this post. Do I have perfect skin? Hell no. Are there probably other products that would work better or the same on my skin? I think, yes. But I have finally found a ménage à tois that is treating my skin pretty well. Just as a bit of a disclaimer before dive right in, I have ca-razy skin. It's definitely dry (which is kinda new I think, this was the first winter that I had some really bad flaking issues) but it can definitely get oily in my T-zone. And of course, I also have some acne, not like really bad but on my forehead I have a bunch of teeny tiny little dots and I will occasionally have the odd pimple on my chin. So basically, I have a buffet of all you can eat on my face. Great.

The first part of my regime is also the newest. Garnier Clean+ Nourishing Cleansing Oil is apparently for Dry Skin and as far as I know (and the NEW sign on the bottle is also a leading trigger) this is a fairly new product. I heard itsblondie mention this product in one of new videos and said it may be a dupe for Boscia's Make-up Break-up cleansing oil and honestly, I've been dying to try that product for months but can't seem to bring myself to spending that kind of money. So I wandered off to Walmart and very surprising they had it! I've only been testing out the product for about a week now but I love it! If you've never used a cleansing oil you're supposed to pump a few squirts into your hand, and just rub it into your skin (which should be dry not wet). Automatically you will see your makeup literally just start to melt away, it's actually pretty amazing. Then add a bit of water to your hands and it starts to emulsify the oil (which really means it mixes the oil + water together to create a sort of creamy mix). And then voila, you rinse it off and you're set!

I'm pretty sure you can use the cleansing oil as a one step thing, but I like to follow up with this cleansing gel just to be sure I got every last bit of makeup and dirt off my face (ya know incase I was rolling around in a mud pit or something that day). I am really shocked that I haven't mentioned this on my blog yet because it is a really reliable product. The Clarins Daily Energizer Cleansing Gel is kind of like the boy you expect to Taylor Swift to date. Is it a drop dead, throw everything else away, write to every magazine kind of product? No. But it does what it says it will, it's kind of cool (it's a dry-to-wet product like the oil but obviously my face is wet when I use it), its reliable, works hard, and doesn't stress you out. I just want to say that I got this for Christmas and used it for about a month, it was good but it was one of my first high end products so I wasn't sure if it was really worth it. Then I started to experience super dry skin. I was sure it was because of the cold weather, but also a bit worried it was because of the gel. I'd been hearing glory story after glory story about all of the First Aid Beauty products, so I went to Sephora talked to a wonderful guy about all the products and he sent me away with a First Aid cleanser and Serum all probably worth $50. Well, I've never been so brokenhearted as I was after using those products. My face broke out, I felt like I had a weird filmy sheen to my skin, and the dryness was still in full force. So I went back to this, and can happily say it is still my cleanser of choice. It makes your skin feel super clean, definitely not oily, but not super dry either!

My last product is my moisturizer. I feel like such a let down here. I talk all the time about how dry my skin is, so you'd expect me to have found some holy grail, spill your milk, moisturizer. But the truth is, I haven't and I'm always searching. I've tried numerous products and serums in hopes of quenching my skins thirst, but I've to totally satisfy it. The Aveeno Positively Radiant moisturizer is good. It has SPF 15 (which is essential at all times of the year especially for a pale gal like myself) and you know what, I feel safe enough to say that yes, I do feel like my face is more "toned" and bright when I use this. So if dryness is not your issue I would 110% recommend this product as it really does make your skin radiant. However, I often find my skin begging for more, so please, if you have dry skin, or know of a moisturizer that is worth its weight in gold please tweet me, comment below, instagram me, email me, call me, text me, show up to my front door. Honestly, do whatever you need to do, just pass the info on!!!

xoxo

-A

-ps: I'm still looking for opinions for my giveaway as I am very indecisive and only one person voted, so PLEASE take one millisecond (I mean you've already wasted how long on this post, whats a second more) and vote ladies (and maybe gentlemen????)!!! 

Would you prefer a giveaway with 1 big winner or a giveaway with 2/3 smaller winners??
	1 BIG Winner
	2 Medium Winners
	3 Smaller Winners
	Don't Care
pollcode.com free polls

*Disclaimer: you can click on the links to purchase/ see the prices on all items mentioned, links may be affiliate links but this post was not sponsored all items were purchased by myself or given as gifts from friends/family

Cover Girl CGSmoothers | A Review for my Fellow Pale Skinned Girls

 This is something I never thought I would get the honour of doing!! I have officially found a drugstore foundation that is perfect for my skin!!! I know this may seem boring and typical for most people, but if you have super pale skin with a red/pink undertone than you will know my dilemma! I know my friends always walk over to the foundations and have a bountiful amount of options. But not me. In fact up until now, not a single drugstore foundation matched my skin perfectly. Sure there were options, but all of them were either far too dark, or yellow!

Alas we have the new Covergirl CGSmoothers Hydrating Makeup! Not only is this shade made for us pale ladies with a more pink undertone (which is more evident in person, not the photo below) but it isn't drying or matte! I have dry skin that is prone to the odd pimple so anything matte just doesn't do it. But this foundation is hydrating enough that it doesn't stick to my dry spots. Its about a light to medium coverage foundation, so it will cover up Ralph who lives just smack dap centre of your forehead (oh, you don't name your pimples.. hm, weird) but still lets your skin breathe!! And the fact that I can have all of this for under $10, uh yes, sign me up!!!

xoxo

-A

-ps: if you, like me, are super pale, do you enjoy posts like this? Because I know I am always scouring the beauty blogging community for posts geared towards us pale folk! So if you wouldn't mind commenting below so I can identify you as a fellow "ghost" maybe we can have a little chat???

Wet N Wild Lipstick | 912C "In The Flesh"

If you follow me on Instagram (& if you don't you really should) then you would know that I've kind of unleashed a beast. The shopping beast. But in all honesty I've been really good lately and haven't really gone overboard or bought unnecessary things, but today I decided to have a little treat and get some things I'd been eyeing. You can expect a bunch of new reviews and tutorials, and possibly a giveaway in the coming weeks (shh don't tell)! 

But were here to today to celebrate the welcoming of another lipstick into my collection. I saw an Instagram post of this and knew I had to have it because it wasn't like anything I already own. It is definitely a more natural tone lipstick, but I wouldn't call it a nude as it is much darker. The consistency is pretty good for the price. I know the swatch looks glossy but it really is more of a matte. The staying is power is great! I think this colour will be awesome with smokey eye, or just a plain old winged liner. The packaging and shape of the lipstick drive me crazy but for under $3 I can definitely accept it!

xoxo
-A

Lip Of The Month | NYX Power

Oh my lanta, this post has been a long time coming. Well actually, not so much the post, but this colour. Not that the colour hasn't existed, but I just haven't been able to find it. I've been on the hunt for the perfect opaque pastel lavender lipstick. I saw this NYX black label lipstick in a YouTube video a few months back and just fell in love. I thought it may be a bit different and "out there" for some people, but considering my 90 year old Grandma gave it the thumbs up, I feel safe to say that this is a colour everyone should own. It's nice because you can wear it with a simple eye or, my go to lately, a light pink/purple using the Naked 3 palette. 

I have to say though, as much as I love the colour, surprisingly, the best thing about this product is the consistency and smoothness. Ladies, I cannot describe what this feels like. I want to go out and buy all of the colours in this range. It is smooth and creamy but not cake-y or sticky. And it definitely has decent lasting power! I purchased this from Ulta for like $3.00!!!! I mean, COME ON! If that isn't the deal of the summer I don't know what it is. 

What lip products have you been loving this summer? Would you wear a colour like this???

xoxo

-A

My Holy Grail Eyeliner | Milani Eye Tech Extreme Liquid Eye Liner

Drumroll please... I have found my holy grail eyeliner! It's the Milani Eye Tech Extreme Liquid Eye Liner.  But before I tell you about this beautiful little tool let me tell you about my struggle. Oh yes, the struggle is real my friends. I have blonde eyelashes, I confess. So in my past, eyeliner and mascara have had a very tumultuous relationship with me. The roots were always visible and I could never manage to get the eyeliner right on the eyelash line. I think at one point I even used black eyeshadow and spread it on my eyelashes. Ahhh how fun it is to look at how far we've come. Anyways, enough blubbering. With a good mascara and nice creamy kohl eyeliner for my tight line, you'd think I'd have the perfect cat eye. Hah. Well you'd be wrong.

I started my journey as Goldilocks down the trail. Only to find eyeliners that were too dry, too wet, too bulky and thick etc... Then one day I came across this piece of majestic wonder. I was so surprised with how thin the pen was, and how black it is! I knew I just had to try it.

Milani describes it as a "non-feathering, waterproof, blackest-black formula [that] lasts all day without flaking or budging" and retails for $7.49 (Milani does ship to Canada, so do not fear my fellow Canadians)! The base has a rubber grip on it, which makes application super easy. I love how that the tip allows for a super precise wing, but the base of the pen is just a bit thicker, so when turned on its side allows you to get super close to the base of your lashes. 

Another great thing about the Milani Eye Tech is that the colour does not bleed. It stays where it's put and last's all day. If I'm being honest with you after I swatched in the store it stayed on my hand for 2 days. Now that's commitment ladies!

Now I know a lot of the Beauty Guru's are all about the Stila Liquid Eyeliner but to me, $20 is a bit much to spend on an eyeliner. Especially if you use it a lot, you're going to go through it a decent rate. Also, I purchased the Stila smudge stick and it breaks off every time I use it :( Which is so sad because the colour (Turquoise) is so beautiful.

Just so you know how big of a deal this is, I suck at eyeliner. Like, not even suck, I am abhorrent at eyeliner. I would sit and practice for hours. But I can actually do a winged look in like 5 minutes now! *Pauses for Applause*

Do you see that wing???? I am like a proud Mama over here!! Which eyeliner do you use? Do you have a HG eyeliner?

xoxo

-A

Spring Lipsticks // High-End and Drugstore Dupes!!

This is sort of an ironic post. Actually, I don't know if ironic is the right word for it, but it evolved into a sort of double post. I was going through my lipstick collection and decided I wanted to do a spring lip post. But then as I was swatching I realized a lot of them were almost identical. And, to boot, they were dupes of high end lipsticks! So basically it's a spring lip collection, with their drugstore dupes! I know some of these colours are a bit darker/ brighter than what's on trend. But, they are what I've been loving and I think pastel and nudes asides, these are classics.

Top Row (Left to Right): Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivids in Hot Plum, Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in In Vogue, Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in NeoClassical Coral, and Maybelline Colour Sensational in Coral Crush.

Bottom Row: Bite Duo Luminous Creme Lipstick in Violet and Palomino

The thing that I love most about spring is colourful lips. I have been leaning towards more colourful eye looks, but deep down I'm a lipstick girl at heart. I've been loving pairing these lipsticks with winged eyeliner. And as a side note, I found my Holy Grail eyeliner and I am going to do a post very soon. But get excited because this baby is going to blow you away.

Top Set (from top to bottom): In Vogue & Palomino

Second Set: Hot Plum & Violet

Third Set: Coral Crush & NeoClassical Coral

In the above comparison we have Violet from the Bite lipstick on top and Hot Plum from Maybelline on the bottom. The only difference here is that the Bite one is more moisturizing and creamy. Whereas the Hot Plum is more of a matte, not drying but definitely not as shiny as the more expensive one. The Bite Duo Lipstick retails for $15 at Sephora, and the Maybelline Colour Sensational retails for $5.59

The colours in this picture looks a bit off but you can see in the swatches that they are almost identical. On the top we have In Vogue and on the bottom we have Palomino. Once again, the only difference is that the In Vogue is a bit more of a matte shade, and Palomino is more creamy. The Bite lipstick comes with both the Violet and Palomino and again is $15, and the Rimmel is only $4.99!

This is by far the closest dupe out of all three. The consistency and colour are nearly identical. Which is great for you, but sucks for me. Why you might ask? Well Elizabeth Arden is super expensive in Canada and the NeoClassical coral (top) costs $30 and the Coral Crush, $5.59. On my recent trip to Florida I did stop in the Elizabeth Arden outlet store and found the same colour for like $12 but in cheaper packaging. So for all you Americans there is hope if you'd prefer the high end option with a better price tag. I do love Elizabeth Arden lipstick, they last so long and you can really notice the quality difference (my chapped lips and terrible photo taking skills do not do it justice).

So there you have it my beautiful readers! Some amazing spring lipstick options! What are your favourite colours for spring? Do you have any of these colours? Let me know!!!

xoxo

-A

To Prime, Or Not To Prime, That Is The Question? Pt. 1

If you haven't already noticed, I am a big big big fan of eye primers, and primers in general. I always feel like its worth it to spend money on decent primers to make sure your makeup stays and looks good, because if you don't you're probably wasting your money on things like eyeshadow and foundation. Now I know what you're thinking, I don't use a primer and my makeup looks faboosh! Ok, congrats on probably having amazing skin and perfect levels of oil and moisture. But if you're anything like me then you can probably benefit from primer in many different ways. So I've decided to do a two part series on primers. Today's bit is going to be focused on eye primer, and tomorrow's will focus on face primer.

Hello. My name is Alex and I have oily eyelids. Yes, the secret is out. If I don't wear eye primer my eyeshadow and/ or eyeliner will either be completely smudged off, or smeared everywhere in about an hour. When I first came across NARS' Pro-Prime I thought that it was too good to be true. I could finally wear eyeshadow and have it last all day without any clumping or smearing. But it was more than that, I noticed a difference in the vibrancy of my eye makeup. Colours were brighter and layered much better.

So I decided to put on my scientist pants and do a little scientifically research. I took one of my brightest eye shadows and swatched it on my cousin's arm. Once with NARS' primer, once with Urban Decay's Primer Potion, and once with nothing. I then took some pictures.

From Left to Right: Urban Decay's Primer, NARS' Primer, and no primer. 

Unfortunately, the on camera difference is minimal. You can tell there is much more pigment in both the swatches with primer, but between them there is a very minimal difference. I can tell you that NARS' primer is white and spreads completely translucent. Whereas all of the Urban Decay primers (I had samples of all different versions) were coloured. This is fine if you're skin colour completely matches, but if you're like me and have super pale skin, or more darker skin this may prove an issue. 

As for staying power, both primers will last you all day. With zero creasing. And I've tested both primers with powder and liquid/ mousse eyeshadow. The thing that I love most about eye primer's is that I believe they can allow you to to spend less on shadows. How you may ask? Well cheaper drugstore shadows may not offer strong pigmentation or staying power. But with one good primer, you can transform those cheap shadows into amazingly beautiful works of art.

As a bit of a side note I would like to add that you may have to spend a bit more to get a good eye primer. I tried the NYX eye primer in pearl and it was terrible. It just creased and clumped the second I moved my eyelid. I know $20-30 may be a bit steep for a primer, but I promise you they last a really long time as you never need a lot (unless you have like giant size eyelids) and it is so very worth it.

What do you think? Are you pro or anti eye primer? Which product do you use?

xoxo

-A

PS- I apologize for the lack of photos but I am currently away from home and do not have my camera or products to take more pictures for you :(

Pamper Night / Face Mask!

I have a pretty busy weekend ahead of me so I thought I should take tonight to relax and have some time to myself. My lovely fellow blogger Ellie Ferrer told me that Rexall / Pharmaplus (sorry non-Canadian readers) sold The Balm products so I thought I would venture over and see for myself. Plus who can pass up a drugstore visit?? I only purchased a few things, and this was one of them. The KIT (which is Rexall's own brand I believe???) Peel Off Mask in Pomegranate. This one is designed to target blemishes as pomegranate works as a natural astringent, and I have a few little buggers on chin (such a random place!). You simply wash your face, apply the mask (this one comes with a ton of product so you can have a really thick layer), let it dry for 20-25 minutes, and obviously the best part, peel it off. As I said I purchased this at my local Rexall for $1.99 and at the very least it made my skin super smooth. I will post a follow up tweet if it helps to rid my face of the blemishes.

I also bought the new Cosmo, some reduced Cadbury Creme Eggs (yumm!) and a blue mascara that I'm really excited to try out! Tomorrow I'm off to Toronto for some good old fashion WWE! What are your plans for the weekend? How do you "pamper" yourself? 

xoxo

-A

The Balm's Nude' Tude Palette Review / Swatch

A few months ago I purchased The Balm's Nude' Tude palette from HauteLook. I had my eye on it for a few months but couldn't find it at a reasonable price anywhere in Canada. When I got the email the night before, I set my alarm for 8am to make sure that dang thing did not sell out before I could get my hands on it. The Balm's website lists the palette as $36, but I think I paid $18 for it (honestly I lost the receipt and email leaving me to do my credit card math manually) which is a complete steal. 

I had first heard EssieButton rave about it in one of her old videos. If I'm being 100% honest with you, I'd want to buy anything that girl talks about. But this time I am glad that I am so easily influenced because this palette is a staple in my make-up collection. The colour range is great, we have matte neutrals (sassy, snobby, and stubborn), some more stand out matte neutrals (sultry--which is darker in person, & sexy-- which is an amazing auburn colour), and of course my favourites of any palettes, the glitters (stand-offish, selfish, sophisticated, seductive, silly, serious & sleek). 

Top (Left to Right): Sassy, Snobby, Stubborn, Stand-offish, Selfish, Sultry.

Bottom (Left to Right): (a bit of Stubborn), Stand-offish, Selfish, Sultry, Sophisticated, Seductive, Sexy, Silly, Serious, Sleek.

These shadows are super pigmented, and creamy (in a powder formula obviously). They glide on your eyelid like an elegant ballerina. The colours pretty much all go together and you can completely change up which ones you use. Unlike the Naked 3 palette which I find there are a pretty set amount of variations that you can do or else it looks like a hot mess. That's why I think if you're going to spend the money on a palette, let alone a neutral one, this is the way to go. I've been testing these shadows out everyday this week and there really is no way to screw this up. 

Stand-offish

I thought since I've been testing these beautiful babies out I would include my favourites so far. I knew the second I swatched it Stand-offish would be my #1 favourite. You can use it as a highlight under the brow, middle of the eyelid, and corner of the eye. As well as just as a general all over the lid shadow. Today I wore this with a bit of Selfish & Sultry in the crease and it made an amazing day appropriate smokey eye.

Seductive

The perfect sparkly gold. Forget a gold medal, give me this. I love that this colour could work so well with all eye colours. I have blue eyes and I found that it really made them pop. But I can tell that it would really standout on a brown or any other colour eye. You can totally play up this colour at night, or wear it as a light crease / outer V colour. 

Selfish

Last, but oh, certainly not least we have selfish. Which pretty much describes how I feel about this entire palette. I don't want to share it with any of my friends. The camera does not do this colour justice. It is more of a taupe with some golden hues. If you're a fan of MAC's Satin Taupe, or have been looking for a colour like that, they are pretty much the exact same. Which is great because I've been lusting after Satin Taupe for a while, and now I have the best of both worlds! 

The only negative thing I have to say about this palette is that I wish it was in my hands sooner. And if you notice in the swatches, some of the darker matte colours were a tidbit chalky and did not blend as well as the other colours. But they are still great colours and are definitely workable with a good brush (which is not the one that comes with this palette). I just threw out the brush because I knew I'd never use it anyways. I also would like to add that I did use Urban Decay's Primer Potion under all of the swatches in order to assure proper pigmentation. Now, I always use eye primer but if you do not then the lighter colours may not be very pigmented, but the darker colours shouldn't be any different. The Nude' Tude definitely packs a punch (hahaha that's kinda punny), and if you have the chance please accept this into your home and love her as your own.

xoxo

-A

PS- I'd like to thank my cousin for being my arm model for the night, she's a sweetie. You can follow her fashion blog here.

Feelin' Suave

This week I received a sample of Suave's new Natural Infusion Awapuhi Anti-Breakage Shampoo and Conditioner, as well as their Strengthening Light Leave-In cream. I'd never heard anything about this new series of natural shampoo and to be honest the packaging kind of drew me in. I don't really need my shampoo to provide me with more volume or thickness, in fact, if there was an anti-thickness shampoo that slowly started to thin out my hair a bit, well then we'd be talking. But nevertheless I thought hey what's the worst that could happen.


Suave describes this particular part of their line as "enriched with special exotic natural ingredients such as Awapuhi ginger and honeysuckle and free from parabens and dyes, our Awapuhi Anti-Breakage shampoo and conditioner products gently cleanse and fortify hair to prevent breakage for a thicker, fuller look."

Honestly, I was waaay too excited to try this stuff out and write a review for you guys. Like, its shampoo Alex, take it easy. I was so anxious to get that stuff on my head in the shower that I almost forgot to wet my hair. Yup, I opened up the little package, poured it into my hands and thought... hmm something is off in this situation. I was going to try the new Tip Tuesday from GlamLifeGuru on YouTube where you condition your hair before you shampoo. But then I thought to myself, don't want to skew these results now do we?? My 3rd year stats professor would be proud. I'm sure this is exactly what they had in mind when they taught us advanced data management. 

Ladies (and possibly gentlemen). This. Stuff. Smells. Good. Like better than good. You know those Herbal Essence commercials where the girls are having a real good time, mhm like that. The shampoo and conditioner smelled like what I can only imagine Ryan Gosling smells like. I didn't get a whole lot of product in the little packages, but oddly enough I didn't need a lot. Because I have such thick hair I often find myself having to drown my hair in product in order get it clean or soft feeling.

I have to say I am so used to having to spend a fortune on my hair. I was always so envious of people who could spend $10 on their hair products. For the past few years I've been spending upwards of $30-$40 on my shampoo & conditioner alone. But good news, I think that may have changed for me! After putting the leave-in conditioner in, my hair was so soft, and no frizz at all. It also smelled like Fruit Loops, which I'm sure is what Suave was going for with that.

Here are some of the other Natural Infusion options that they offer. I am really interested in the Macadamia Oil one, and I think I will be purchasing it within the next few days. They are priced from $2.89 (for the shampoo & conditioner) to $5.99 (for the Macadamia Oil) which is a total steal in my opinion!! Definitely worth a good old fashion trip to the drugstore or local Target if ya ask me! 

My hair, styled (which means I put in mousse and blow dried it). Doesn't get much better than that when its au natural! 

xoxo

-A

**Disclaimer** 

Suave did send me this sample for free, however all opinions and views are my own. Come on, you can't make this shit up.