A Few Boxing Day Finds

For all who celebrated Christmas, hope you all had an amazing day with your families and for those who celebrate Kwanza, Happy Kwanza!! As some of you know the day after Christmas is boxing day, which I only found out about just last year noting that it's a more prevalent holiday in UK. Lush in particular always has boxing day sales on all their holiday products and gift sets - buy one get one free! Disregarding the title of boxing day, a variety of stores were having sales yesterday through the end of December; to name a few, Uniqlo was having 50% off select styles, Stuart Weitzman is having 50% off select shoes, Macy's was having a huge one day sale, Aritzia is having up to 50% off fall/winter merchandise, Urban Outfitters was having 50% off all sale items,  Topshop is having up to 50% off select styles, and many many more. Long story short, after Christmas sales are amazing. 

Dream Steam Tablets, Candy Mountain Bubble Bar, and the Wizard Bubble Bar

Usually my local Lush isn't as busy, but on boxing day it was packed! Last year, I picked up two gift sets filled with bath bombs and bubble bars, but this year they didn't have many containing strictly bath bombs or bubble bars, they were all had one bath bomb and a bunch of soaps or shower gels, which I didn't particularly want. Luckily all their holiday products were also on buy one get one free, so I picked up the Candy Mountain bubble bar, which smells of vanilla and a hint of candy, giving it a very sweet scent. I also picked up the Wizard bubble bar, which smells like the signature Lush scent, very florally and sweet. Lastly, I stumbled upon these Dream Steam Tablets, where at first I thought they were for your shower and making the steam in your shower a certain way, but no you're supposed to drop them in a bowl of hot water and use the steam to leave your skin refreshed and unclog your pores, either way I'm excited to use them! 

Clinique Clarifying Lotion 3, Beauty Blender, Living Proof 5-in-1 Styling Treatment, Bobbi Brown BB Cream, Glamglow Thirstymud Hydrating Treatment, and Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream

On my way to the Lush Boxing Day sale, I stopped by Sephora to pick up a few winter essentials. I love how every time I go in to Sephora to pick up a couple things, I always come out with so much more.  After running out of toner and moisturizer, I decided to go get some more. I use the Clinique Clarifying Lotion toner for combination and oily skin, I have no idea if that is what type of skin I have, but it seems to work for me and thats all that matters, right? For the winter time I like to use the Yu-Be moisturizer at night because it is so thick and helps cure my awful wintery dry skin. I also picked up a new Beauty Blender, after having one for a whole year it got a bit smelly, even after sanitizing in the microwave and deeply washing it, I thought it was time to throw it out, and get a new one! While on line to check out, I saw a bunch of mini Glamglow mud masks, I had already tried the Supermud version and have gone through two big tubs of it, so I thought i'd try the Thirstymud mask as an overnight replenishing mask, lets hope it lasts me through the winter. Lastly, I got two beauty insider rewards, the Living Proof styling cream and the Bobbi Brown BB cream, I haven't tried either before, nor I have I tried products from either brands, so maybe they'll be my next holy grail product, who knows?? 

Hope you all have a great rest of weekend! And a great end to the year!!

xx
Francesca 

Marc Jacobs Beauty Products

Marc Jacobs, a brand in the fashion industry that we all know and love, was created by famous fashion designer Marc Jacobs. The company is known for many things- bags, wallets, scarfs, etc. However, more recently the company launched their own makeup brand. The products range from eyes to lips with numerous palates and colors. Just how we fell in love with our Marc Jacobs bags and wallets, we fell in love with the makeup. 

From left to right: Lovemarc - Lip Gel and Lust For Lacquer Lip Vinyl - Full in 316 Shooting Stars 

From left to right: Lovemarc - Lip Gel in 104 Dizzy Spell, Lovemarc - Lip Gel in 108 Have We Met?, Lovemarc - Special Addition 146 Cabaret

The Lovemarc Lip Gels and Lacquer Lips are two of our favorite products from the Marc Jacob's makeup line. The texture is creamy and velvety, leaving a soft feeling when put on your lips. Additionally, the wide range of colors is a plus. From deep purples to light pinks and oranges, the colors give a pop to any lip. The formula is generally long lasting but I would still throw the lipstick in your bag when you leave the house in order to reapply throughout the day. Although the lipsticks are pricey, they are worth it considering the enjoyable texture and variety in color.

Perfection Powder - Featherweight Finish in 100 Finish Line

The Marc Jacobs Perfection Powder is an amazing powder for setting makeup. All you need is a swirl in the powder with your brush and dust it all over your face and you will be ready to take on the day without your make up smudging. However, you don't need to use a lot of this powder otherwise it will leave a white cast over your face- something no one using make up wants. So while it is a good powder- don't over use it. Concerning the packaging, it is not our favorite. The entire powder fell out of the packaging after packing it away for a trip. Luckily, the powder was still intact and usable yet I would have preferred to avoid the mess altogether. 

From left to right: O!Mega Lash Volumizing Mascara in Blaquer 30, Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in Blacquer 42

The Marc Jacobs O!Mega Lash Volumizing Mascara is probably one of the best mascaras I have ever used. It not only separates your lashes but gives them volume creating a perfect everyday laid back look.  Both the wand and formula make this a holy grail product! The Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon is incredibly pigmented and glides right on, the formula is also super creamy. A plus to the liner is that it is a twist up which means no sharpening!

Yves Saint Laurent Beauty Products

YSL- also known as Yves Saint Laurent- is a makeup, clothing, handbag and shoe company. The company sells a wide range of makeup products from lip to eyes to nails. What's great about their products are their vibrancy yet simplicity. In the products shown below, you can use any of them to make your lips or eyes pop or even use them for a casual day. Additionally, they have a wide range of radiant nail colors that have long-term lasting power.  

From left to right: Rouge Volupté - Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick in 11 Rose Culte, Volupté Sheer Candy - Glossy Balm Crystal Color in 04 Succulent Pomegranate, Volupté Sheer Candy - Glossy Balm Crystal Color in 16 Cherise Desir, Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain in 7 Corail Aquatique

The lip products shown above are great for jazzing up any makeup look. However, they are also great for sheering out when you want just a tint of color on your lips. The texture is very smooth and feels great on your lips. The gold rouge volupte lipstick is very long lasting and we reccomend using a lip liner underneath in order to ensure it does not stain your lips. On the other hand the silver volupte sheer candy glossy balm are exactly like their name- sheer. So, while you may have to reapply the product on your lips throughout the day, they are great for when you just want to add a tint to your lips. Lastly, the rouge pur couture glossy stain feels amazing to apply. The brush is very soft and with one swipe, you have tinted lips. Depending on the look you are going for you can apply this alone or over lipstick. 

From left to right: La Laque Couture Nail Lacquer in 1 Rouge N Pop Art,  La Laque Couture Nail Lacquer in 12 Rose Renaissance

The nail polishes are definitely a splurge but worth it. The colors are very vibrant and the brushes make them easy to apply. The polish usually lasts about a week until you need to remove or apply over chipped areas. I would reccomend buying a color that you would want to wear consistently or all year around to make sure you are getting your money's worth!

Creme de Blush in 5 

The YSL creme de blush has a unique cream to powder consistency, giving you a healthy, radiant glow. This product is very long lasting, noting that when applied in the morning it will stay all throughout the day till the night. This blush can be worn super natural due to the fact that it does not cake up or leave your skin looking over powdered.  You can use YSL's creme de blush for either a sheer wash off colour on your cheeks or you can intensify your look for a Girls Night Out by applying a few more layers. To apply either pat it on with your fingertips or use a duo fiber stippling brush on the apples of your cheeks. Unfortunately, this product and specific colour is no longer sold at Sephora, but luckily Nordstrom has six other amazing colours to try out. Though this product is up there in price, it is totally worth it, because a little bit goes a long way, and with only having this product for a year or so now day after day, there is no visible dent!

Pure Chromatics - 4 Wet & Dry Eye Shadows in 20 - sunny coral/ white gold/ baked gold/ blackened burgundy

The YSL pure chromatics eyeshadow palette  is perfect for any time of the year because of its neutral colors. You can use all for to create a brown smokey eye or even just use one of the pinks or light brown to add some color to your eye lids any day of the week. The colors are sheer but if you dab it on your eye lids the color will be more defined. The shadows are very easy to blend however, they are sparkly so it all depends on the type of look you would go for if you are deciding to purchase this palette. Since it is expensive, always make sure you love the colors and affect it gives your eyes before purchasing it!