Zoya Summer 2014 Textured Holo Magical PixieDust Trio Swatches & Review

June 13, 2014 By StephanieLouise 99Leave a Comment2014-06-13+00%3A12%3A00StephanieLouise

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Zoya has stolen my heart with their textures- for me they’re easily some of the best. I know some people are totally over the textured trend but I don’t see that happening for me anytime soon! They’re just so easy to touch up, wear incredibly well, & are just plain fun. For Summer 2014 Zoya released a trio of new Magical Pixie Dust polishes which I’ll be sharing with you today! Check out the shades Arlo, Ginni, & Bar below!

Swatches are all done without base or top coat & 2 coats of each shade. All of my swatches are in sunlight so you can really see the holo effect!

Zoya Magical Pixie Dust Nail Polish in Arlo from the Summer 2014 Trio

Zoya Magical Pixie Dust Nail Polish in Arlo from the Summer 2014 Trio-ThisisZoyaArlo01_zpsee8dc297.jpg

Zoya Magical Pixie Dust Nail Polish in Arlo- A sheer rosy purple base with a finish of sparkle, textured PixieDust with silver holographic hexes & particles.

Zoya Magical Pixie Dust Nail Polish in Ginni from the Summer 2014 Trio

Zoya Magical Pixie Dust Nail Polish in Ginni- A sheer pink base with a finish of sparkle, textured PixieDust with silver holographic hexes & particles.

Zoya Magical Pixie Dust Nail Polish in Bar from the Summer 2014 Trio

Zoya Magical Pixie Dust Nail Polish in Bar- A sheer pale gold/nude base with a finish of sparkle, textured PixieDust with silver holographic hexes & particles.

I know these shades won’t be for everyone but I stand by my undying love for them. They’re far more textured than most other formulas & the holo glitter is really eye-catching. I advise anyone rocking these shades to be prepared for that & to not try to work with super delicate clothes like panty hose or snaggable sweaters. Just a heads up!

You can purchase these shades from the Zoya website for $10 each. & they’re lovely. Which shade is your favorite? Are you still crazy about textures?

Makeup Geek Pigment in Blitz Eyeshadow Look- Blue Eyes Need It!

June 11, 2014 By StephanieLouise 100Leave a Comment2014-06-11+22%3A36%3A00StephanieLouise

Makeup Geek Blitz Eyeshadow Pigment & Vanilla Bean Makeup Look

I bought it. Affiliate links.

I have picked up quite the Makeup Geek collection as of late- only pigments & eyeshadows but still. I’ve been using them a lot in real life but then realized I haven’t been posting them on the blog- shame on me! I wanted to show you one of my newer Makeup Geek pigments in Blitz which I wore to see Maleficent- keep reading to check it out!

If you have blue eyes like me then I hope you know all about the wonders of copper shades. I pressed this onto my lid with a gripping base so it was really pigmented. The only other shade I used was to buff out the edges & highlight- Makeup Geek single eyeshadow in Vanilla Bean.

This shade is a red/brown based copper with shimmer that is metallic when used foiled. I’m really loving it. Loose pigments aren’t always my favorite thing but these are so crazy pigmented that I think I make less of a mess. These containers do come super full so it is messy at least the first few times- totally worth it for the extra product though!

The lipstick I’m wearing here is MAC True Love’s Kiss from the Maleficent Collection which I reviewed here. On my cheeks is Benefit Rockateur which I have really been loving this lately! I wanted to keep everything besides my eyes & lips simple which is why I didn’t add a whole lot of extra colors to me eyes.

What are your Makeup Geek must haves? What colors make your eye color really pop?

Finger Paints Poolside Paradise Rainbow Gradient Ombre Nail Art

June 11, 2014 By StephanieLouise 101Leave a Comment2014-06-11+19%3A14%3A00StephanieLouise

Finger Paints Nail Polish Poolside Paradise Summer 2014 Rainbow Nail Art with Ombre/Gradient designs from Stephanie Louise- All Things Beautiful

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What says summer to you? Technically summer isn’t until the end of June but the vibrant hues are everywhere. & I’m loving it! Although rainbows seem to make most people think of rain the bright colors always seem to make me think of hot weather & beachy accessories. The Summer 2014 Poolside Paradise from Finger Paints was aptly named- & I took them to the nail art level for some fun!

This collection is comprised of 6 shades in your basic rainbow hues. I used Finger Paints Paper Mache (swatches & review here) to give it a nice bright base. Pretty right? I did random-ish designs on each nail & repeated them here & there.

White base– Finger Paints Paper Mache

Red– Finger Paints Be My Baby

Orange– Finger Paints Aloha Lei

Yellow– Finger Paints Hula Aruba!

Green– Finger Paints Margarita Mambo

Blue-Finger Paints Surf’s Up

Purple– Finger Paints Wild Bikini

I sponged on about two coats of each shade to make them pop a bit more. If you wanted the lighter version these also covered nicely! I think it turned out nicely overall. The formula across the board had a slight jelly effect & each had glass flecks. I did extra coats of Surf’s Up on my thumb to darken it up some.

Technically most of the designs are indeed gradients but since people seem to be using gradient & ombre interchangeably these days…well I included both words. There you go- that’s my trendy explanation. Also my makeup look in the top photo will be up on the blog soon as well!

Have you spotted this collection in person yet? What are your favorite shades? I think mine have to be Surf’s Up, Be My Baby, & Aloha Lei. All of these shades are on sale (at the time of this post!) on the Sally Beauty website for only $4 each!

MAC Maleficent Lipstick in True Love’s Kiss Swatches & Review

June 10, 2014 By StephanieLouise 102Leave a Comment2014-06-10+21%3A01%3A00StephanieLouise

MAC Maleficent True Love's Kiss Lipstick Swatches & Review + Makeup Geek Blitz Eyeshadow

I bought it.

So let me take a moment to get real about two main topics in this post- Maleficent/Sleeping Beauty & MAC. Aurora (aka Sleeping Beauty) has always been my favorite princess. I loved her as a kid which is quite ironic since her & I are likely the least alike. I’m very much a book nerd (like Belle), speak my mind loudly ( like Jasmine ), & am a big time lover of animals & hate cleaning floors (like Cinderella). For whatever reason she is my princess & Maleficent had ALWAYS been my villain.

I was wary of the whole movie thing- it really could go either way with childhood loves. Then I heard MAC was coming out with the collection… Half of me was excited & the other half was depressed because that meant no one else would pick it up. I’m not a MAC girl…at all actually. I have a few random things from over the years but I don’t even have anything limited edition or that I use regularly. Certainly nothing I consider holy grail. I know MAC was a lot of girl’s first makeup purchase but I never had the connection nor the excitement over the brand itself. They put out some pretty things but not a lot that gives me that buying rush.

This is the first MAC order I’ve ever made & I bought this lipstick, a pigment sample I’ve always heard was nice, a couple of makeup cases on sale, & the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer which you can see my thoughts on in my most recent video here. I only bought the lipstick- there just wasn’t anything else that wowed me. Even the lipstick seems dupeable although nice. I know the makeup in Maleficent (which I went to see recently & I’ll have a makeup look of soon!) is really neutral besides the lips but they just didn’t appeal to me. Plus most of the products were re-promotes or part of the permanent line…just with higher price tags for the packaging. Actually the packaging didn’t really do it for me either. Honestly from a distance I could easily confuse it with Batman. Meh. Anyway- onto the lipstick itself!

True Love’s Kiss is one of those reds that will likely look different on varying skintones. On me I think it pulls more strawberry than in looks in the tube & also not as deep. I found the formula to be somewhere in the middle- not too drying but definitely not moisturizing. This shade is an Amplified color & I needed a few swipes straight from the tube to build up the opacity.

I ended up preferring to apply this one with a lip brush so I could get a nice, clean line. Although not fully opaque here on my lips this is how I’ve been wearing it most often. I think I like it better because it doesn’t look as warm.

I categorize the shade itself as a neutral/warm leaning medium brighten red with very fine red shimmer. I think it looks more moisturizing/slightly wet on the lips than it actually feels. I found it wore about 5ish hours then left a stain behind which was a nice overall effect & something to keep in mind. After testing the next few times I topped this with gloss about 2 hours in since I prefer a more moisture-rich feel. I do like the vanilla scent- that’s nice.

So overall I’m happy with my purchase but the price was a bit steep for not all that impressive packaging. The color is nice as something I’ll look back on with my favorite villain on it but not something that I find super flattering all the time either. I like reds but I don’t wear them as often as other shades. Will that stop me from buying more MAC lipsticks? I honestly don’t think so- I’m sure something will come up again someday & I’ll give them another go. I’m happy with my purchase but also glad I didn’t go batty over this collection. From what I can see this shade is sold out online (there was only one shade so I’m not surprised) but you might be able to snatch it up at your local MAC counter.

What do you think of this shade? How about the Maleficent collection overall? Any MAC shades you consider holy grail or formulas your especially love?

Zoya Tickled Summer 2014 Faux Water Marble/Tie Dye Nail Art

June 9, 2014 By StephanieLouise 103Leave a Comment2014-06-09+12%3A51%3A00StephanieLouise

Zoya Summer Tie Dye Water Marble Nail Art from Stephanie Louise- All Things Beautiful

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I’ve been loving both collections from Zoya for Summer this year but I thought the Tickled collection would be interesting to water marble. I swatched & reviewed the entire collection here earlier but I almost got a slightly psychedelic vibe when doing the nail art. It isn’t perfect because I was trying a new method (& I’m just not great at marbling!) but I think it looks cool. Keep reading to check it out!

So I didn’t wear this very long because my pinkie made me insane- but I think the top 3 fingers were alright. You can view all the colors I used in this post here. This water marble look actually wasn’t done using water- I created some DIY decals as a test. Clearly more practice is needed!

Somewhere in the middle nail art I think- but I try to show you guys even when I’m not 100% happy with the results. Learning curve! What is your favorite nail art method right now? If you have shared it online I’d love to see it!

NuMe Magic Wand & Argan Oil International Giveaway for 3 Readers! #NuMeLove

June 7, 2014 By StephanieLouise 104Leave a Comment2014-06-07+01%3A42%3A00StephanieLouise

NuMe and I are spreading the NuMe Love and giving 3 of my lucky followers a NuMe Magic Wand & Argan Oil. All you need to do is check out the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! Remember to comment what your favorite summer activity is! Contest will end on June 16th 11:59pm PST. Winners will be contacted by me. Contest Open Internationally! {ONE COMMENT PER ACCOUNT}…So what are you waiting for…Spread the #NuMeLove!

Thanks SO much to NuMe for this awesome giveaway- snaps all around! Remember to shout out to them as well if you get a minute & tell them you entered!

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Staying Moisturized with St. Ives

June 5, 2014 By StephanieLouise 1051 CommentStaying+Moisturized+with+St.+Ives2014-06-05+16%3A00%3A00StephanieLouise

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Although the St. Ives Fresh Hydration Lotions became available back in October 2013 I just recently had the chance to try them out! St. Ives Fresh Hydration Lotion is a continuous spray lotion that moisturizes without that heavy lotion feeling or a greasy residue. I have three scents to share with you today & they’re all fabulous! Keep reading to hear more about the St. Ives Fresh Hydration Lotions in Citrus & Vitamin C, Oatmeal & Shea Butter, & Coconut Milk & Orchid Extract & to enter the giveaway!

If you hate the thick & heavy feeling of lotion on your skin in warmer weather, St. Ives Fresh Hydration Lotion Spray will give you freshly moisturized skin without the heavy lotion feel. You get a really even application & the spray-on method is by far the easiest & quickest way to apply lotion. Seriously- I can’t believe I’ve spent so long doing the lotion drying dance. You haven’t done it? Well then you probably have never been in a hurry to get going while battling slick, greasy feeling lotion. Lotion marks on clothes is not the kind of fashion statement I want to make! Pretty, hydrated skin is!

St. Ives Fresh Hydration Lotions come in three varieties: Citrus & Vitamin C, Oatmeal & Shea Butter, & Coconut Milk & Orchid Extract. They contain these natural ingredients: Grapefruit Extract, Vitamin C, & 100% natural moisturizers (glycerin, Shea butter). Glycerin is known to moisturize skin while Shea butter contains skin moisturizing vitamins A, E and F, as well as fatty acids, which are known to place moisture back into thirsty skin

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St. Ives Fresh Hydration Lotion in Citrus & Vitamin C: This scent is so fresh & energizing. I love the grapefruit, orange, & lime notes along with a very soft patchouli that is way in the background. This is my favorite of the three scents to use before & post workout or if I’m trying to really wake myself up in the morning. It isn’t too sour or too sweet–the balance is awesome!

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St. Ives Fresh Hydration Lotion in Oatmeal & Shea Butter: Formulated specifically for dry skin (like mine!) this variety has a really soft, comfortable scent. With notes of soft white floral, honey, almond, & coconut this is the most soothing of the three varieties for me personally. I absolutely love this one before bed because it doesn’t bother my allergies or my husband. When I am wearing a strong perfume or want something that smells soft this one blends in seamlessly.

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St. Ives Fresh Hydration Lotion in Coconut Milk & Orchid Extract: The scent that appeals to me the most! It makes me instantly happy & reminds me of warmer weather & my favorite flowers–orchids. It has notes of guava, mandarin zest, pineapple, Lily of the Valley, pink orchid extract, Hawaiian Jasmin, Coconut Milk, creamy musk, vanilla, & blonde woods. Whew! Smells & looks a bit like a perfume doesn’t it? This is like a vacation in a bottle!

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I’ve been using the St. Ives Fresh Hydration Lotions every day & even multiple times a day because it is so fast & comfortable to use. After my morning shower, after a workout, & right before bed are my favorite times & it has cut my “lotion time” into one third! I don’t have to wait to put on clothes, crawl into bed, or go about my day–just spray on & go! You can find St. Ives Fresh Hydration Lotions at mass retailers, select drugstores, & supermarkets nationwide.

What variety of the St. Ives Fresh Hydration Lotions would you most like to try? Leave your answer in the comments below to enter for a chance to win a $100 Target gift card!
For more information on these products you can visit the St. Ives website or Facebook page!

Sweepstakes Rules:
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You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
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For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 6/2-6/30.
Be sure to visit the St. Ives brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

DermOrganic Haircare Line Review

June 5, 2014 By StephanieLouise 106Leave a CommentDermOrganic+Haircare+Line+Review2014-06-05+12%3A36%3A00StephanieLouise

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Do you love beautiful hair? What a moronic question right? 3 things that instantly make me feel better: great hair, fabulous mascara, & glowing skin. So- hair is pretty important to me! I’ve used DermOrganic products in the past with great results so I was really excited to try out some of their newer hair care products- keep reading to see what I think!

I’ve reviewed the DermOrganic shampoo, conditioner, & leave-in treatment before here & I think my opinions are still the same.I love the pumps, the scent, & the fact that is cleans my hair without stripping it. Anyway- check out my prior review for the information!

So the one in shower hair product from this line I hadn’t tried is the DermOrganic Intensive Hair Repair Masque- & shame on me for waiting so long. I prefer to use masks as conditioners because my hair soaks up everything- & really likes majorly hydrating products. This masque has a bit of a spicy scent which is odd- but the results are fab. You’re supposed to let is sit 5-7 minutes then rinse. Normally I do let it sit a bit longer if I can when it comes to a mask but this one really doesn’t need it! I also have been using the DermOrganic Windswept Defining Whip when my hair is towel dried after a shower. I find it doesn’t hold my finger curls well but it doesn’t help me create some shape which I can set with hairspray or mousse.

Oh- can you resist trying something called a Texture Taffy? The DermOrganic Texture Taffy comes with a pump (although it must not now because it looks different online?) & helps me create a bit of pizazz. I have to use a really small amount between my hands then it depends on what I want on my hair. For bedhead I just go to town but for curls I use it after the Defining Whip to give curls more hold.

I love that the DermOrganic Fast Dry Shaping Hairspray dries matte- so many don’t anymore! I think it has nice hold & actually brushes out quite well too. This smells like hairspray so don’t expect a random kind of scent. The mist is also super fine which is lovely.

So there you have it! Not every product is a must-have for me but overall the line is awesome. I think the fact that they have a nice, wide range but they maintain their vegan, cruelty free, & no unnatural preservatives base is brilliant. You can view the entire styling line on the DermOrganic website here. Any products catching your eye? You can see my review of the DermOrganic skincare range here as well which includes the Argan oil which I love on my hair as well!

DermOrganic Skin Care & Body Care Review!

June 4, 2014 By StephanieLouise 1071 Comment2014-06-04+21%3A03%3A00StephanieLouise

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Beautiful skin- is there anything that makes you feel instantly more beautiful? I’ve had some pretty bad reactions in the past which is why this line likely should have been up ages ago. I’ve been using these products for the past month & off & on before that a bit while I was trying to heal up my poor skin. I know I don’t advertise this or anything but when my skin is bad I feel positively dreadful & you’ll notice I do less makeup tutorials. So was the DermOrganic Skin Care line a love match? Keep reading to find out!

The packaging is very sleek & simple. I like that all of the bottles have some kind of pump/spray.This is a must-have for me. I wake up relatively pleasant most mornings but digging into stuff early is a no go- I’m horribly clumsy in the early hours especially.

DermOrganic Hand & Body Moisture Lotion- Finally- a do it all lotion! I absolutely love that this is a large container that I can keep on my desk that does it all- I use it from my neck to my heels! & my hands- oh my hands! I am such a sucker for hand lotion & have them scattered about like a crazy person. I like that this has a scent that barely lingers- this is excellent for a girl like me who often wears perfume. Or because it is nearly summer- is obsessively spraying body mist. Yes- I want it all. All the time.

DermOrganic Pure Argan Oil- So if you’ve been reading my blog for awhile then I hope you’ll know- I absolutely love oils! My hair, my nails, body, face…I love them period. This Argan oil is a bit on the thicker side & is meant for use about anywhere you can think of! I especially love it o the ends of my hair & across my cuticles.

DermOrganic Soapless Facial Cleanser- I need a thicker cleanser because my skin is dry- so this has been lovely. It is HUGE & I love that it is fragrance free as well! While this is soap free it is a great cleanser & removes most of my makeup. Usually I use a specific eye makeup remover then follow up & remove all of my makeup with a cleanser. Works great for me!

DermOrganic Daily Moisture Renewal- This is for face & neck- & feels great. This pumps out a bit thick but once it settles into skin it is really light. Because I have combo/dry skin, this is great for me. The fact that it has no fragrance is a bonus- sometimes fragrance really irritates my skin in a moisturizer. It has lots of good for your skin ingredients as well.

These products are vegan & cruelty-free which is excellent. This isn’t the full DermOrganic skincare line either- you can check out everything on their site here. I love the fact that these products don’t have preservatives, no parabens, or fragrance as well. I think they hit this line out of the park! What products from this line are catching your eye?

Easy Pop of Color Summer Look with Laura Mercier + Reviews

June 4, 2014 By StephanieLouise 1081 Comment2014-06-04+13%3A26%3A00StephanieLouise

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Ever fallen in love with a look so hard that you just repeat it over & over? I have been absolutely obsessed with the look & color combo so don’t be surprised if you see it in upcoming videos & such. With the humidity completely settled in & here to stay I’ve been looking at more comfortable/effortless skin & long wearing, comfortable makeup on the rest of my face. Keep reading to see how Laura Mercier makes this look possible! [Read more…]