Allow Me To Complain

...about my constantly growing cosmetic Lust List! I understood going into college that the typical "broke college student" would be me, and I would just have to start exercising control whenever I think about making a trip to Sephora. But seriously?! Knowing I can't run out and buy nice products the way I want to is whats making me want them EVEN MORE. I'm now my own worst enemy. ><

So because I am pinched for the funds, I figured I'll fill you all in on what I want and just exactly why I want it so damn bad. My Lust List is as follows:

1. Urban Decay's 15th Anniversary Palette

Oh. My. God. I can't even explain how amazing this palette looks. I know it's been out for some time now, but I still haven't had the chance to purchase it at the price. With 15 colors made specifically for this one palette only, each and every one of them is gorgeous. The first column is made of nudes, while the second contains the brighter, more playful colors. My personal favorite is the third column, made up of beautiful browns, grays and a black so matte you will never need another to complete the perfect smokey eye. The quality of these are, as Urban Decay always does it, amazing! Now a few do contain glitter, so fallout may occur. This is one of my biggest make up pet peeves, but I don't believe its to the point that the colors are un-usable. And like I said, its only a few. Anyways, the packaging is top-of-the-line with the mirrored case and bejeweled "UD" on the front. I have heard many complaints about fingerprints easily left behind but neither of the two basic downfalls most people see with this palette are by any means reasons for me not to want it. At $55 and no need for any new eyeshadows in my collection, I guess I'll just have to wait until Christmas for this beauty. *sigh*

Here's a closeup of the colors for even more reasons to ooooohhh and ahhhhh:

2. Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer

This primer is a beigey-nude, which I LOVE. It's known to cover up darkness and help even out the lid color to where if you are rushing and don't have time for an eyeshadow, this primer can act as an eyelid concealer if you will. It is matte- something I will love returning to after using Too Faced Shadow Insurance in Candlelight for months now. On top of the smoothing goodness, this primer has been proven (by a few nameless beauty gurus) to significantly outlast both Too Faced Shadow Insurance as well as the ever-popular Urban Decay Primer Potion AND keep colors more vibrant throughout the day. What more could you ask for? At $20 for the tube, I'll have to wait to finish my current primer, as much as it's killing me to continue with an inadequate product in the time being.

3. A GOOD Liquid Foundation

Which one? I have absolutely no clue. I have very light skin with olive undertones, and I have very dry skin. Lately, I've been breaking out more while using a foundation that's supposed to "clear breakouts." Ironic or just bad luck, either way I've used this foundation every day (give or take a few) for about a 1.5 months so I'm well past the basic "purging stage" usually two weeks following the beginning of a new blemish-clearing product. I've had my fun run with drugstore foundations in the past, but I feel it's time I give the high-end ones a go. I absolutely love full coverage foundation, and my favorite drugstore one I've ever tried is good example. Revlon's ColorStay for dry skin has been my favorite in the past, but it's time for something nicer. I've looked into many: Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation, Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Coverage, etc. Have you tried either? Any suggestions would be wonderful.  :)

4. Clarins Delicious Self Tanning Cream

I am so excited to try this! It's $42 but honestly I'm okay paying that much for a self tanner that has had such great reviews. Just look at www.sephora.com - the reviews are almost all 4 and 5 stars! You can use it on both your face and body (Thank God!) and it is supposed to smell good as well. It isn't known to be orange, streaky, or muddy for the most part (of course there are exceptions) and the best of all? Its moisturizing; it actually contains benefits to improve your skin! It is known to go on very smoothly too. Many people have coined this the "best self-tanner on the market." My only concern about this product- and its a big one- is that about two reviews of people with olive skintones did in turn have an orange outcome with this product. The "caramel color" descriptor of the item slightly scares me... I've always had to be incredibly picky with self-tanners in the past due to the olive undertones in my skin. I'm hoping I can sample this product somehow on a hidden spot before I buy this. 

5. Benefit They're Real! Mascara

I won't go into too much detail, as I'm sure you've heard all there is to know and more about this product through numerous beauty guru vids. The basics? It's a super great long-wearing very black mascara that has a wand made to awe. The tip of the wand has its own set of pinecone-like bristles which you can see from the zoomed in picture above. This wand is engineered to not miss any lashes, and do the double-duty of creating voluminous lashes while still being a very lengthening mascara. The reviews I've heard have mostly been great, but overall I'll stick with my drugstore mascaras that I have no problem tossing out every few months to replace with a new cheapie.

6. Too Faced Lip Insurance Lip Primer

I'm on the fence about this one. I've heard great things about this, that it's hydrating, stays on for a long time, etc. And then I've heard the complete opposite: very drying, only lasts a short amount of time paired with lipstick. I'd love to go run out and try it, considering my love for lipsticks- dark ones, at that. But i'm not sure. While I've heard people saying this is their favorite product, I'm still iffy and would like to look into a primer that isn't Too Faced or Urban Decay. Mainly, I want a great long-wear hydrating lip primer, but something's telling me that maybe there is something better out there. Let me know what you think!

My Lust List could go on for hours, but I don't wanna bore you all with things I'd love to have but just can't afford to try out at the moment. Frankly, this list is making me kind of sad noticing my lack of funds for recreational things. On that note, I'll leave you to think up your own Lust List. Comment below with your current most craved items! :)

One Big Rave

 Some of you may be disappointed to hear that no, this is not my recollection of a crazy all-nighter with bright lights and extremely loud dubstep, but it is one bigger review of the things I've been loving lately. If you're curious about the random products that I've been loving (and most just recently discovered) then stay tuned! :)

First off, I'd like to make a toast to Panera Bread, for doing the ever-famous Pumpkin Spice Latte right! Their blend is so much sweeter and more pumpkin-y than that of Starbucks or even some of the neighborhood coffee shops I've tried. Granted, with the sweetness also comes a hearty 410 calories but for a latte this good, I can forgive Panera. One of these lattes has the power to launch you into fall immediately, forgetting all about those days of summer where only iced coffees would be tolerable with the heat.

Carry On

Power Clutch

Glamour Purse

Keeping with the fall idea, what is my latest nail polish obsession you ask? Nothing has caught my eye for this season transition quite like the colors of Essie's new fall collection! I only justified buying three, at $8 a pop, a college kid like me can barely afford one. But as fate had it, only one of the three was left in stock once I got to the store. (Watch out people, these things are going fast!) The other two I'm still dying to try are carry on, a gorgeous deep burgundy purple (two of my favorite colors), and power clutch, a silvery green. I can't even explain to you how happy  I am that olive drab green is a fall trend! I'm all over this, as I love the old grungy color making its way as a new more polished look, especially in Essie's color by using undertones of silver to beautify the once-was "ugly" color. (Notice the quotations for emphasis- this is one of my favorite colors to wear in clothing for that perfect edgy meets grungy look.) The one I did get the chance to purchase was Glamour Purse, an amazing brownish taupe color with hints of a purplish base. This color just screams polished and trendy. I must admit, I was very excited when my friend noticed the color and could not take her eyes off my nails for the next hour following. Slightly vain, but I'm very happy with the way the color ended up looking with my skintone, as well as proud of my choice in such a gorgeous color. The picture off the website does not do the color justice, but I'm posting it for an idea. The color in person is much darker, and less pink.

This next item may be less exciting for some, but I am so impressed! I've always had problems with my brows staying in place and its never been something to catch my attention. Its kind of been more like that annoying gnat that you only notice when its bothering you but just seconds later the problem is forgotten about until the next time an annoyance occurs. Well, I realized while watching guru videos that the annoyance of my flimsily-structured thin brows can be cured! Behold, the idea of a BROW MASCARA! hahah yes, I've definitely heard of it before- I haven't been hiding under a rock these past few years, but making the actual decision to go out and get something to tame my brows is new to me. I picked up E.l.f.'s Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Mascara, which has two identical ends of product with mascara wands on each. The mascara wand combs my brows out perfectly and the wet gloss holds my brows in place all day long. An even better perk to this product is that when the wand is pulled out of the tube, all of the excess is scraped off at the opening so the gloss doesn't come out clumpy. Of course the absolute best feature of all was the price- just $1- and I couldn't ask for a better brow setter at that steal. This is a new staple in my make up collection!

I'm just going to do a brief review on the next two because I 

feel that while both are not by any means exceptional products, they do serve the basic purposes well and especially for the prices. The E.l.f. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Black is definitely not waterproof and will not stay on all day long, but if you're looking for a liquid black eyeliner that creates a very sleek line, this is your guy! By saying "sleek line," I do mean after a few times of going over the original, because this product can get streaky and miss spots easily. The color is a nice black, however, and the 

packaging makes it so incredibly easy to use! Just make sure you do not get the same eyeliner in coffee... it almost seems like a completely different product because the quality of the color is so poor in comparison! The E.l.f. blush in Tickled Pink is my next favorite new product, because the color is just a very nice light pink with a subtle shimmer to it. It can go with vary many looks, and is also a nice, creamy consistency. The downfall of this one is the staying power again, and also that it takes many, many, many applications to create the desired affect. Overall, a liquid pen liner for $1 and a versatile blush for $3 are such good deals that I'd be crazy to put them on my "naughty" list for lesser product issues.

50 years of Breakfast At Tiffany's!

"A girl can't read that sort of thing without her lipstick."
-Holly Golightly





Recently, I've had this urge to watch Breakfast at Tiffany's, and last night I finally had time to! It was just as adorable as I remembered! Funny thing is... while I was watching this at home last night, apparently Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in NYC kicked off the 50th anniversary for the movie when it opened its doors to show the new and improved version! Paramount will be releasing a 50th anniversery Blu-ray of this film on the 20th; so keep your eyes peeled if you love Holly Golightly's carefree style and whimsical attitude, and lets be real- who doesn't?! Such a classic!








Hepburn's make-up look is quite the same throughout the movie: just create a thick winged eye with a liquid black liner for precision, add a light pink/almost nude lip with matching subtle cheeks and you're ready to run around New York City aimlessly with a stray cat and your new hot neighbor! (Well, if you please.)