Urban Decay X Gwen Stefani Palette

Urban Decay has always been one of the luxury brands that i've dreamed of owning products from. With all of the time I spend watching YouTube videos on makeup i've come to realize what quality products the company produces. That's why when I saw that the UD | GWEN STEFANI palette was on sale for only $25 I knew I had to run to my local Ulta and get myself one.

The palette originally was released for a retail price of $58 and was released on November 22, 2015. I had seen a few reviews of the palette when it was first released but didn't plan on paying that much. Even though I love makeup I still can't justify some of the price tags that come with the higher end products. 

That's why I was so excited when I saw that the everything from the Urban Decay and Gwen Stefani collaboration had gone on sale. I also knew that the items would be snatched up quickly because they were being sold as such a great price. Luckily I was able to get to Ulta before they ran out!

The palette features 15 shades that are surprisingly perfect for everyday wear. When thinking about Gwen Stefani I tend to think about more dramatic makeup looks. Of course there are some colors in here that are a little out of my comfort zone {that pink and blue} but the majority of colors are quite neutral. The pigmentation is wonderful and all of the shadows {even the mattes!} are soft and buttery. There is only one shadow in the entire palette that I am not impressed with, Pop, because it is so glittery that there is very little color pigmentation and a lot of fallout. 

Lately i've been using this palette every single day and can get such a beautiful look using only shades from here! I start with Anaheim in the crease and then deepen the outer corner up with a little bit of Zone. To add some shine to the look I put Baby all over the lid and then use Skimp as a brow and inner corner highlight. It's so easy yet looks so wonderful.

While the palette is now sold out at Ulta you can still get it from Sephora and the Urban Decay website. It's well worth $25 and I would highly recommend it! Plus you even get a nice little sampler of four of the lipsticks that came out with the Gwen Stefani collaboration. It was a nice surprise to find inside of the box.

Do you have this palette? If so what is your go-to look when you use it?

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Everyday Makeup Routine

Through my makeup inventory {face, eyes, and lips} and project pan posts you may have figured out that I'm a bit of a makeup and beauty fanatic. While I have quite the selection of products, there are a few things that I use daily to get the job done quickly and efficiently.

My everyday makeup routine starts with my favorite foundation. I've always been a fan of Almay foundations, but this Almay Wake Up Foundation has been repurchased multiple times. Previously i've applied it with a beauty blender dupe from Real Techniques, but I recently discovered this elf Ultimate Blending Brush and haven't used a sponge to apply my foundation since. It blends everything together so quickly but still leaves my face looking flawless.

Next I use the same brush to apply a mix of the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer and the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circles Concealer to cover up any blemishes and dark circles that I may have. Immediately after I finish blending in the concealer I set my under eye area to avoid any creasing that could occur. On a typical day I will use the elf High Definition Undereye Settting Powder but if I know that I have a long day ahead I will bake my underlies with my Maybelline Loose Powder.

Once everything has been set i'll move onto blush and bronzer. My favorite bronzer of all time is the Wet n Wild Bronzer in Ticket to Brazil. It may look really dark in the pan, but it's the perfect shade for a fair-skinned girl like myself. Lately i've been really enjoying this cream blush, the Maybelline Dream Bouncy in Rose Petal, because it is the perfect color and formula for the summer months.

I always begin my eyes by by filling in my brows with the elf Eyebrow Kit in medium. The wax portion of this kit is amazing and makes my brows look natural yet defined. Even though the wax holds my brow hairs in place fairly well I usually set them with the NYX Control Freak Eyebrow Gel for extra hold.

Then it's time to play around with eyeshadow. Depending on the mood I am in that day I may add more or less to the look. My two everyday palettes are the Wet n Wild Trio in Walking on Eggshells {the shimmery pink color is stunning} and the Smashbox Double Exposure Travel Palette. I like to use the matte brown from the Smashbox palette in the crease and then put the pink shade from the Wet n Wild trio all over the lid.

Finally i'll add a little bit of the Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in black fever and i'll top it all off with my sample of BareMinerals Lash Domination Mascara.

What does your everyday makeup routine look like?

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My Makeup Collection: Lips

Time for the final installment of my makeup collection! This post will cover all of the lip products I own. Due to the large number of items I won't be going into detail on every single one.

Lipstick is where I tend to struggle, I love to purchase new shades and am constantly adding new products to my collection. I'd like to go through quite a few of these products before I purchase any new ones, although i'm not sure how successful I will be with that...

Just a disclaimer: I know that I have more makeup than any person needs to have.. Makeup is something that I enjoy collecting which is why I have accumulated so much. I am working on getting my collection under control!

First up I have all of my chapsticks and lip balms. This is excessive, I know. A lot of these I received as gifts, so I've only actually paid for a few of these.

• Carmex Original Lip Balm- This stuff is what I consider to be heavy duty. It's super thick but works really well! I keep this in my desk and use it a lot during the winter months.
• Lypsyl Lypmoisturizer Lip Balm
• Nivea Lip Butter: Vanilla and Macadamia Kiss- This is another really thick formula, but I really enjoy it! I keep it on my bedside table and use it at night before bed.
• EOS Lip Balm - I own 6 of these and really need to work on using them up...
• Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm
• Baby Lips in 05 Quenched
• Nivea A Kiss of Milk and Honey- This is my favorite lip balm at the moment and is a part of my first Project Pan.
• Baby Lips in 30 Peach Kiss- This has a really nice tint to it, I always forget that I enjoy how it looks on my lips.

• Milani Color Statement LipLiner in 03 Nude- This is my favorite lip liner and I find myself using it at least a few times a week. I either wear it under lipstick, lipgloss, or even on its own. Once this is gone I plan on repurchasing!
• Essence LipLiner in 12 Wish Me A Rose
• Kiko Smart Lip Pencil in 703

• Stila Magnificent Metals Lip Gloss in Rose Quartz
• Maybelline Color Elixir in 520 Pearlescent Peach- This looks so good paired with my Bite Beauty lipstick in Fig!
• NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in 02 Stockholm- It took me almost two months before I finally purchased this and i'm so glad I did. The formula is so comfortable and the color is perfect for everyday wear.
• NYX Butter Gloss in 05 Creme Brûlée
• CoverGirl Wetslicks in 340 Potently Pink

• Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 001 Honey
• NYC CityProof Twistable Crayon in 011 Brooklyn Brown Stone
• NYC CityProof Twistable Crayon in 021 Parsons Pink
• Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 010 Darling- This doesn't look like a very wearable color, but it's a stain so it ends up looking lovely on the lips.
• Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien
• Narvs Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella- When I got this pencil I didn't think I would use it, but i'm actually almost done with it! The formula is so nice, but Nars is a little out of my price range so I won't be purchasing it anytime soon.

• CoverGirl Lipstick in 260 Heavenly
• Essense Lipstick in 11 Nude Love
• Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in 047 Pink Lemonade- This is one of my favorite lipsticks that I own. It's such a sheer wash of color and so hydrating. 
• Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede in 020 Front Row
• Essence Lipstick in 07 Natural Beauty
• Victoria's Secret Color Drama Lipstick in True
• Bite Beauty Dual Ended Luminous Creme Lipstick in Fig and Date- I'm working on Fig in one of my project pans at the moment and haven't grown sick of it yet. These are such nice quality and I really want to purchase a full size bite beauty product once i've used up a lot of my items.

• Elf Moisturizing Lipstick in Rosy Go Round
• Almay Smart Shade Butter Kiss in 10 Berry Light- This is another one of my favorites, the color is very buildable so you can achieve a sheer wash of color or a fairly dark lip. 
• LA Colors Lipstick in Mauve Glaze
• Wet n Wild Lipstick in 522A Dark Wine
• L'oreal Colour Rich in 407 Liya's Red- This was sent to me by a friend and I am so excited to wear it out. I plan on wearing it this week while i'm working a StyleWeek Providence event.
• Marc Jacobs Lip Creme in 216 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

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Wishful Wednesday: Mad for MAC

Like most people who are big on makeup, i'm quite the fan of MAC Cosmetics. While i've only ever owned two products from this company (RIP to the MAC Lipstick in "Faux" I lost on Christmas Eve...) I always find myself checking out their website for all of the products they have to offer.

This leads to this weeks Wishful Wednesday which is all about the 8 MAC products I currently have my eye on!

1. Lipstick in "Velvet Teddy" 

     I don't think this color would be flattering on me, i'm a fan of nude lipsticks but have a really hard time finding one that works with my skin tone. I've seen this particular shade on quite a few YouTubers with similar skin tones, so i'd like to stop at the MAC counter and check it out for myself soon! 

2. Lipglass in "Nymphette"

     Lately i've been super into lip glosses, and look at how beautiful this color is! It's the perfect everyday pink.

3. Lipstick in "Diva"

     It seems like everyone I know owns this color, and there's a good reason for it- this color is stunning. It's the perfect blue-toned red, which is always good because blue-tones help make the teeth look whiter. Lately i've been wearing red lipstick a bit more, so I think this would be a good option to have.

4. Lip Pencil in "Soar"

     This is a cult favorite and that really intrigues me. It's supposed to be one of the best pinkish-brown liner which is the lip color I wear most often. One thing I love about lip liners is that they are so versatile; you can wear them under a lipstick, all over the lip, or underneath a lipgloss.

5. Eye Shadow x15: Warm Neutral

     I love neutral eyeshadows, and the colors in this palette could be used for so many different looks. It also comes with matte, satin, metallic, and many other eyeshadow formulas which is a huge plus in my opinion. I always find myself switching between palettes for matte and shimmery shades, so it's nice that this one has it all. 

6. Prep and Prim Fix+

     I've wanted this for so long, and depending on how I do with my project pan I might purchase the travel size one. There are just so many uses for this product and i'm dying to use it to foil some eyeshadows I have in my collection.

7. Powder Blush in "What I Fancy"

     I'm not a huge blush person, I only really have two different ones in my collection. That doesn't mean that I don't love looking at them though. This color reminds me of spring and is something that I could see myself wearing daily.

8. Mineralized Skin Finish in "Soft and Gentle"

     For my last product I chose yet another cult favorite. This highlighter has been a fan of Beauty Guru's for years and it looks so gorgeous on fair skin tones. I'm not a huge highlighter person so chances are I will never purchase this, but it sure is nice to admire.

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My Makeup Collection: Eyes

Time for the next installment of my makeup inventory! This post will focus on all of the eye makeup that I have in my collection. I'm also including my eyebrow items in this category because I wasn't sure whether to put them here or with my face products. Since I have a lot more products in this post I won't be giving a description on every single on, just my favorites!

Just a disclaimer: I know that I have more makeup than any person needs to have.. Makeup is something that I enjoy collecting which is why I have accumulated so much. I am working on getting my collection under control!

• Benefit Roller Lash
• Rimmel Day 2 Night Mascara
• Almay Once Coat Thickening Mascara
• Bare Minerals Lash Domination Mascara
• Lancome Lash Primer
• Mary Kay Mascara
• L'Oreal Voluminous Full Definition- This has become one of my favorite mascaras, and after I finish all of my others ones I will probably repurchase it! It took a while before I liked it, I think the formula had to dry up a little bit.

• Marc Jacobs Hilghliner Gel Crayon in Black
• Elf Liquid Liner in Brown
• Elf Liquid Liner in Black- This is my favorite liquid liner, the brush tip is the perfect size and I really like the formula. I also find that I have really good control when I use this, and that's something I pay extra attention to because I have very shaky hands (which is not good for liquid eyeliner!).
• Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid Liner in Bobby Dazzle
• Rimmel Gel Liner in 002 Brown
• CoverGirl Ink It! in 235 Gold Ink- I don't have anything like this and I love it! I wear this more than I thought I would. The only problem is that it's kinda tricky to twist the product out, and if too much is out the product breaks really easily.
• Julep Gel Eye Glider in Smoky Taupe Shimmer
• Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in 18 Berry Merry
• Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in 02 Hot Chocolate
• Essence Long Lasting Eyeliner in 01 Black Fever- This has become my new favorite black pencil liner. Not only is it very pigmented and affordable, but I feel like it stays in the waterline for a long time.
• Maybelline Master Smoky in Scorching Brown

• Elf Eyebrow Kit- I didn't like this when I first got it, but after I ran out of my NYX eyebrow pencil I tried it again and changed my mind. It's a great product for the price, 
• Milani Stay Put Brow Color in 04 Brunette

• Almay Single Eyeshadow in 150 Smoke
• Kiko Single Eyeshadow in 118
• Almay Bright Eyes in 130 Nude- This is starting to get old, so i've been focusing on it lately. I finally hit pan on the top shade by using it as an eyeshadow base everyday. This is a cream to powder formula, so I find that putting it under other shadows works very well. I'm thinking of possibly putting this in my project pan relatively soon.
• Kiko Single Eyeshadow in 116
• Wet n' Wild Eyeshadow in Creme Brulee- This is the perfect blending color for me, and it's even better because I got it from the Dollar Store! I've made a pretty decent dent in this and think that i'll be hitting pan within the next few weeks.
• Elf Smudge Pot in Cruisin' Chic- When I first got this I thought the color was too dark so I never used it. Recently, I pulled it out again and decided that it is the perfect base color. I love wearing this with the colors from my NYX palette in my crease.
• Avon Eyeshadow Trio in Plum
• Elf Jumbo Eyeshadow Stick in Turkish Delight
• Urban Decay Primer Potion

• Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips in Vegas Strip
• Clinique All About Shadow Quad- I just got this last month for my birthday so I haven't used it too much, but the colors are beautiful and I don't really have anything like it.
• Lancome Color Design in 302 Signature Walk
• Wet n' Wild Trio in Walking On Eggshells- I bought this because I kept hearing people rave about it on Youtube, and i'm so glad that I did! These eyeshadows are amazing quality and the pigmentation is amazing.

These are all of the Elf single eyeshadows I own, I have them in the Elf custom eyeshadow quads. The back row contains (from left to right) Moondust, Teal, Taupe, Aubergine, Pink Ice. The front row (from left to right) Ivory, Sage, Wheat, Periwinkle, and Purple. I really enjoy these and find the formula to be very buttery. I got them from the elf website when they were on sale for 49 cents each, so I bought a few colors that are brighter than my everyday choices.

• POP Beauty Palette in Lovely Lids
• Smashbox Double Exposure- This is one of my only high end products, and I love it. I did a lot of research on this palette before buying it, and I love that the shadows can be used both dry and wet. The colors are all ones that I love and I find myself reaching for this all the time.
• Profusion Colour Me Glow Eyeshadow Palette

** I forgot to include my NYX Natural Eyeshadow Palette, but you all have seen that in my project pan posts!**

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My Makeup Collection: Face

Over the next few days I will be taking you through everything that I have in my makeup collection! I have decided to split this up into three separate posts, one for face products, lip products, and eye products.

My first post is going to be about all of the face products that I own! This is the area in which I have the least amount of products. When I find a foundation, blush, bronzer, etc.. that works well for me I tend to repurchase it and stick to that product alone.

Just a disclaimer: I know that I have more makeup than any person needs to have.. Makeup is something that I enjoy collecting which is why I have accumulated so much. I am working on getting my collection under control!

Primers, Foundation, and Concealer

Maybelline FIT Me Concealer, CoverGirl TruBlend Foundation, ELF Mineral Face Primer, Rimmel BB Cream, Almay Wake Up Foundation, Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer

• ELF Mineral Face Primer in Radiant Glow- Even though this was only $3 it was a waste of money in my opinion. I don't notice any difference when I use it compared to when I don't. I'm trying to finish it up so that I can get rid of it.
• Rimmel London BB Cream in Light- If you've read my project pan updates you know how I feel about this. The more I use it, the less I enjoy it.
• CoverGirl TruBlend 410 Classic Ivory- This is a pretty good foundation, it's not the first thing I reach for but when I use it I end up enjoying it.
• Almay Wake Up Foundation in 010 Ivory- This is my favorite foundation! It matches my skin color perfectly, is hydrating, and does everything I could want it to do. Almay foundation have always been a favorite of mine.
• Maybelline FIT Me Concealer in 15 Fair- I love this concealer! I explain a little bit more about it in my project pan posts.
• Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in Illuminator- Once again, this is another favorite of mine. You can check out my project pan posts for more details on why I enjoy this. 

Face Powders

Maybelline Loose Powder, Almay Pressed Powder, ELF High Definition Undereye Setting Powder

• Maybelline Loose Powder in 01 Light- I use this to "bake" under my eyes. I like it, but my skin is so dry that I avoid using powders all over my face (especially during the winter months).
• Almay Smart Shade Pressed Powder in 010 Light- I've had this for a while and as you can see, I haven't used a lot. Every once in a while I use it to set my concealer, but I tend to forget that I have it. 
• ELF High Definition Undereye Setting Powder in Sheer- I use this everyday to set my undereye concealer. I was nervous when I first got it, because there is some shimmer in it, but you can't even tell once it's on the skin. 

Blush, Bronzer, and Highlighters

Max Studio Baked Blush, YSL Dare to Glow Illuminateur, Wet n Wild ColorIcon Bronzer, ELF Baked Blush, NYX HD Blush, Wet n Wild ColorIcon Blush, NYC Color Wheel

Max Studio Baked Blush, NYC Color
Wheel, Wet n Wild Blush

• Max Studio Baked Blush- This is a nice blush topper and if I use a light enough hand I can get away with it as a highlight. (There is no name on the packaging)
• NYC Color Wheel in 723A Pink Cheek Glow- I've had this for a long time, and I enjoy having it in my collection! It's a great color and I enjoy wearing it in the spring and summer months.
• Wet n Wild ColorIcon Blush in Pearlescent Pink- This is my favorite blush at the moment (I wear it every single day). When I first got it I was terrified to wear it because the formula is so pigmented. It's important to use a light hand because this blush can get out of control quite easily!

Wet n Wild Bronzer, NYX HD Blush

• Wet n Wild ColorIcon Bronzer in Ticket to Brazil- This is the only bronzer I own for warming up my face. It's the perfect shade and no matter how I apply it, it always looks great. The pan is so big that I can't imagine ever running out of it!
• NYX HD Blush in Taupe- Even though this is a blush, I use it as my contour shade. It's the perfect cool toned shade so I find that it compliments my skin tone very well.

ELF Baked Blush, YSL Dare to Glow
Illuminater

• ELF Baked Blush in Pinktastic- Once again, this is another blush that I use for a different purpose! This shade has so much shimmer that it is the PERFECT highlight shade. Whenever I wear it I get so many compliments!
• YSL Dare to Glow Illuminator in 3 Naughty Pink- I've had this for a while and need to use it more. I'm not a big fan of cream hi lights because I feel like they're a bit too bold on me. I might try using it with some different brushes to see if I can find a way to wear it.

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My Nail Polish Collection

The other weekend I spent some time going through everything in my room. I tried to really see what I had and get rid of some of the things that I don't love as much.

When I went through my nail polishes I re-discovered some old colors I really enjoy. Lately i've been painting my nails every 5-7 days, so my collection has been receiving a good amount of love. I currently have 27 nail polishes, although 5 are minis. This is way more than I need, but I do use all of these colors at least once throughout the year.

Keep reading for a look into what colors I have in my collection!

Neutrals

• Julep Nail Color in Jennifer
• Nailene Hard & Healthy French Manicure
• Essie Nail Color in 711 BBF Best Boyfriend
• Nicole by OPI (name unknown)- this has become my favorite nail color! You can't tell in this picture, but i'm half way done with the bottle. I'm going to be sad once this runs out because it came in a set and I haven't been able to find this color in stores.

Reds and Pinks

• Sally Hanson Hard as Nails in 520 Walk the Plank
• Sally Hanson Insta-Dri in 325 Peachy Breeze
• OPI (name unknown)
• Nicole by OPI (name unknown)
• Nicole by OPI (name unknown)
• Essie Nail Color in 609 Bahama Mama

Purples, Blues, and Greens

• Julep Nail Color in Quinn
• L'Oreal Nail Color in 510 Paparazzi Pleaser
• Essie Nail Color in 856 Warm & Toasty Turtleneck
• L'Oreal Nail Color in 540 Jet Set to Paris
• CoverGirl Glosstinis in 535 Blue Hawaiian
• Essie Nail Color in Fall in Line

Silver, Grey, and Black

• Sinful Colors Nail Art
• Julep Nail Color in Missy- This is the best polish for a sparkly accent nail! It's so opaque that you could get away with only one coat.
• Sally Hanson Insta-Dri in 230 Silver Sweep
• Julep Nail Color in Lorenzana
• Sinful Colors in 949 Nirvana
• Nicole by OPI (name unknown)
• Revlon Top Speed in 890 Black Magic

Topcoats and Basecoats

These aren't exciting, but I still thought i'd share with you the brands that I use. Every time I paint my nails I use the Sally Hanson Xtreme Wear as a base coat and the Nailene Acrylic Strong for my topcoat. The combination seems to work very well, my nails don't usually chip for 3 or 4 days (that's a long time for me!)

• Sally Hanson Xtreme Wear in 01 Invisible
• OPI Top Coat
• Nailene Acrylic Strong Top Coat
• Sally Hanson Hard as Nails Strengthener

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Birthday Beauty Haul

With my birthday being a few days ago, I finally had some money in my pocket. I knew exactly what I wanted to get, because i've had my eyes on all of these products for quite a while. I was also able to stop into Sephora and Ulta to pick up my free birthday gift!

I love having reward cards to both Ulta and Sephora. In addition to the points you can receive for making purchases (and the products you can redeem these points for), you get a birthday gift each year during your birthday month. This year at Sephora they had two options that you could choose from. The first was a skincare set from Fresh (containing a Soy Face Cleanser and Rose Face Mask) and the second was a duo from Marc Jacobs. Being the makeup junkie that I am, I chose the Marc Jacobs set. The duo included a Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in Black and a Le Marc Lip Creme Lipstick in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (check at the bottom of this post for a swatch of the lipstick). Ulta's birthday gift was the Roller Lash mascara from Benefit cosmetics in black. All birthday products are deluxe sized samples, this size provides the perfect amount to really get the feel of a product!

While I was in Ulta I stopped by the NYX section to pick up the four products that I have had on my wish list. I've heard nothing but great things about their lip products, so I decided to go crazy and get two different ones. The first one I picked up was the Butter Gloss in the color Creme Brûlée. This one is a cult classic and now I understand why; it's the perfect nude gloss that can be worn on its own or layered over a lipstick. I also purchased my first matte lip product, the Soft Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm. I was a little nervous because it looked quite brown when I swatched it, but I fell in love as soon as I tried it on my lips. It's a "my lips but better" sort of color. The HD Blush in Taupe is something I have wanted to use as a contour color. I only have one bronzer at the moment and it is way too warm to contour with. Finally, I picked up the Control Freak Clear Eyebrow Gel because my old gel had to be thrown away.

I also found a cute little The Body Shop gift set (pictured in the back of the header picture) in the clearance section! It's in the Shea scent which is a favorite of mine. The set, which regularly retails for $11 contains a bath pouf, travel size Shea body whip, and a travel size Shea shower cream. The best part- I scored this for only $1.97!

From Left to Right: MJ Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brûlée, and NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm. Along the top is the NYX HD Blush in Taupe.

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