Fossil

 I don't know about you guys, but I LOVE watches. Like I am obsessed. It's worrying. I also do not have the budget for my watch obsession. This means that I usually buy cheap watches that LOOK nice. However, while we were in New York, Elle and I decided we both wanted to buy a nice watch. I adore Fossil because they're not ridiculously expensive but they are beautiful. So one night we wandered into the Times Square Fossil store and decided we wanted to buy everything. I'm not really a fan of Times Square because it's busy and touristy and the associates in most of the stores are snotty. However, this store is like a little hidden gem. It was really quiet, full of good deals, and the associates were lovely. We spent probably an hour talking to those girls about random things (convos always start because of Elle's tattoo sleeve!). Anyway, we both ended up with a beautiful watch and we are sooo excited. The ones we bought also have really easily exchangeable straps so it's kind of like multiple watches in one hehe. Elle's (on the bottom) is the Jacqueline Three-Hand Leather watch with a bone strap. It's gorgeous and I was quite tempted to get it as well, but I have a very similar watch and the strap was a bit thin on my wrist. Hers was $115. I, after a very long debate, decided to go with the Gold-Tone Chronograph with a bone strap as well. Mine also was $115, which in the grand scheme of things isn't a lot for a nice watch. Fossil also has an amazing warranty and they wear beautifully, I have one of my aunt's old Fossils and it must be over 20 years and it still looks lovely!

If you were to buy a Fossil watch let me know which you'd go for!
x

Clean Brushes

I, like a majority of makeup lovers, HATE cleaning my brushes. I have a ton, it takes forever, and it makes my hands wrinkly. This baby solves the whole takes forever part. Samantha (follow that girl omg) reccomended the Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap for cleaning brushes. And let me tell you, the stuff is amazing! I got the peppermint solid bar, but there are tons of scents and you can also buy a liquid formula. I love how clean the beautyblender solid cleanser gets my sponge so I figured I'd take Samantha's advice and get the bar. First of all, it smells delish. It doesn't linger on my brushes but it makes the process slightly more enjoyable. Secondly, it gets those suckers CLEAN. I've had a lot of my brushes for a loooong time and the white hairs had always been stained no matter how much I cleaned them. This? This had them looking like new in seconds. It makes them super soft and really, clean brushes do better work. It's also made from natural ingredients, so no need to worry about harsh chemicals! Best of all you can get it from Target for less than $5. I'm in love.

What do you use to clean your brushes?
x

Mary-Lou Manizer

The Balm's Mary-Lou Manizer is one of those cult products that has been talked about for as long as I can remember. For some reason I've never bought it (probably because the Balm is so hard to find where I live) but while in New York I snatched one up. This gorgeous champagne highlighter costs $24 and you get 8.5 grams. Eight point five grams. Talk about bang for your buck. If you're looking for subtle this definitely isn't it, but it's also not glittery so it leaves a beautiful sheen on your skin. It's super finely milled and incredibly pigmented so it packs a punch, leaving your cheekbones the most defined you will ever see them. It also has super-cute packaging and a HUGE mirror.

I honestly have no idea why I've never bought this because it is amazing, I can't use anything else now! Have you tried this beaut?
x

Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer

The very first thing I bought on our NYC trip was this concealer. We wandered into Sephora just to look around since we'd be coming back the next day, but I saw the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer and I thought you know what? I need a new concealer. So I bought it. This is the colour Fair Neutral and it is beautiful.

I've seen a lot of mixed reviews on this product but I'm sort of in love with it. First of all, the packaging is beautiful. UD used to be known for their insane packaging but recently it's become beautifully sleek and this just looks luxurious. I don't have super dark under eye circles but I think that this stuff packs a punch in the coverage department. It's as concealing as the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer but a ridiculous amount lighter. It's thin, but creamy so it blends like a dream and you honestly cannot feel it. The most wonderful thing is that it lasts forever on me. I could wear this for twenty hours and my foundation could be sliding off of my face, but my under eyes still look flawless! I have applied it using my beautyblender, a brush, and my fingers and while it does look good all ways the beautyblender makes it look so beautiful and natural. Because of the thin consistency it's also quite buildable if you have much darker circles, from reviews I've seen people with super dark circles seem to think it does the trick! It also doesn't crease on me, but again I only have a few small fine lines.

Now this does cost $28, which is a pretty steep price for concealer considering how quickly I go through them. I've always loved my drugstore concealer but honestly this stuff just takes the cake. I don't think I'll ever be able to use anything else.

What's your favourite concealer at the moment?
x

MAC 217

My first item from the New York haul was definitely an accidental purchase. I went to all of the MAC stores I could get to trying to find the Giambattista Valli collection but with no luck. On the second-to-last day I went into another store and they were again sold out. My friend Elle was looking at their brushes and I thought what the heck, oops. So I picked up the famous MAC 217 Blending Brush. It costs $24 but I definitely think that it's worth it. I use mostly elf and Sigma brushes. The Sigma are pretty high quality, but elf's aren't amazing. This brush blows them out of the water. I've never owned a MAC brush, but I have a feeling there's going to be a collection starting.

The 217 is marketed as an eye brush, but it's definitely got multiple uses. The oval, slightly flattened tip means its great for putting shadows on the lid. But the longer, fluffier bristles make it perfect for blending products out. This blends crease colours like a dream, as well as creamy products like concealer or a cream eyeshadow. While $24 seems a little expensive to me for one brush, I definitely think it's worth the investment.

Do you have any MAC brushes?
x

New York, New York

I'm sorry that I've been MIA this week. My best friend and I took a trip to NYC and I decided to take a break from blogging. We relaxed, walked around, and did a LOT of shopping. Here's some pictures from the trip!

On The Top of the Rock! I definitely recommend this over the Empire, it's slightly less busy and it has much, much better views!

Plus you can see the Empire State Building!

The ridiculously amazing view from our apartment

With my favourite sculpture in Central Park

Beautiful theater in SoHo

I clearly love fire escapes, the old buildings in SoHo are so beautiful!

This AMAZING little jewelry shop in Brooklyn, here's the link. They are all handmade in the city and so gorgeous and unique!

We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge on the hottest day of the year, which was brutal. Definitely a cool thing to do but I'm not entirely sure I would do it again, especially not in the summer!

But, it does provide amazing photographs!

Our last two nights we spent in the Row hotel, which had this gorgeous little cafe with a bunch of restaurants in it.

Eating breakfast looking out on to the city!

More from SoHo, everything is beautiful there!

Our last day was rainy, so we headed back to Fifth Avenue for some last minute shopping!

One night we wandered into the Times Square Fossil and walked out with new watches, oops!

I love night flights!

 Keep an eye out this weekend for the haul post, we definitely did a lot of shopping!
x

Today's Look 07

Today I'm wearing something other than a matte smokey eye on my lids so I thought that needed documentation. Also breaking out the darker foundations because I have a teeny tiny tan!

FACE

Nivea Men's Aftershave Balm Sensitive (as a primer hehe)

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation (old formula) in Rose Ivory

L'oreal True Match (uk version) in N1 Ivory

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light

Too Faced Velvet Revolver Eyeshadow (Contour)

MAC Nylon Eyeshadow (Highlight)

MAC Well Dressed Blush

EYES

MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot

Urban Decay Smog

Urban Decay Half Baked

LORAC Pro Palette (used Taupe, Sable, Espresso, and Cream)

MAC Nylon Eyeshadow

Benefit BadGal Lash

L'oreal Miss Manga Black Angel Mascara

L'oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara

LIPS

Nothing I'm boring soz

What are you guys wearing today?

x

The Ray-Ban Erika

I leave for New York next Friday, which I am beyond excited about OMG, and I needed some new sunnies for the occasion. I've previously always bought crappy sunglasses because I never wear them that much. But I'm sure I'll be wearing them every day in the city so I used some of my city shopping savings to buy some Ray-Bans! These are the Erika Tortoise with the Brown Gradient Lens (RB4171). These shades are unisex so they're a nice size (especially on my huge head) and look awesome on guys too! I love the slightly rounded cat-eye shape because they're not full on round but still chic and flattering. I'm obsessed with the keyhole bridge, it's such a nice detail and the matte plastic looks very classy. I also like the thin metal arms surprisingly, because they are super light. I'm pretty picky about sunglasses but I absolutely adore these. They cost $115, which is quite a lot for glasses but I know I'll have them for a long time! I've also got my eye on the Black Velvet colour with the mirrored lenses, very chic!

What is your favourite style of sunnies?
x