Smart is Always Beautiful

It's full-on Halloween in my house currently, but I brought out one of my favorite Christmas decorations to introduce all the Holiday kits that are coming out at Sephora! I did go to the Rouge Preview last week and picked up a couple things that I'm super excited about. I also held, swatched, and looked at many more collections and kits that are new for the holiday season this year. I wanted to share what I picked up and I'll also throw in a few of my other picks. So let's start with what I picked up.

What I Bought

I saw the picture of the Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector's Makeup Case, $59 ($418.00 value), and instantly wanted to go to the preview event to see it in person. I had a feeling that I would be picking this up. I'm a sucker for Tarte's kits. They always tend to be quality and one of the best values if you love all their products. We swatched everything in the store and everything was pigmented and smooth. The amount of products that you get with this kit is pretty amazing:

• 24 x 0.031 oz/ 0.87 g Amazonian Clay Eyeshadows
• 0.10 oz/ 2.83 g Tartiest Lash Paint mascara in Black
• 0.158 oz/ 4.47 g Amazonian Clay Blush in Moment (coral)
• 0.158 oz/ 4.47 g Amazonian Clay Highlighter in Authentic (champagne)
• 2 x 0.158 oz/ 4.47 g Amazonian Clay Bronzer in Unique (shimmer), Provocative (matte contour)
• 0.10 oz/ 2.83 g Rainforest of the Sea So Fine Micro Liner in Black
• 0.01 oz/ 0.47 g Tarteist glossy lip paint in Ovbi

I'm totally in love with this set. Everything applies beautifully and wears well all day long. I love that this kit contains everything that you need for a full look and I love that it includes tried and true products, such as the Amazonian Clay Eyeshadows and Blushes, as well as new products. I've been loving the Tarteist Lash Paint and Glossy Lip Paints - both were new products this year. This kit would be great to pack for your holiday travels this year; just add your base products, a lash curler and eyeshadow primers and you are good to go.

I wasn't going to pick up the Buxom 6 Degrees Below Sexy Plumping 6 Pc Mini Full-On Lip Polish Collection - $32 ($60.00 value), but my friend swatched the shades and I fell in love. I adore the Full-On Lip Polishes. They plump but never feel painful. They basically just smooth out any lines in your lips. They have a minty scent and flavor and make your mouth feel really fresh once you've applied. The shades are all sheer and can be worn on their own or paired with a coordinating lip liner. The shades range from a glossy topper to a dark cherry red. The shades in this kit include: (0.07 oz each)

• Dominique (glittering ice)
• Amy (golden nude)
• Celeste (prismatic soft peach)
• Clair (starry plum haze)
• Starr (brandy cordial)
• Jasmine (black cherry)

I took the bow from the Buxom set and added it to my light-up tree. I think it was a great addition!

My Picks

I really wanted the Bobbi Brown Bobbi To Glow Shimmer Brick Palette - $69 ($122 value). It swatched beautifully and I have never owned a shimmer brick before. This is a really great way to jump in and try a pretty iconic line of products. This palette contains three shades, 0.34 oz each, in Gold, Wild Rose, and Bronze so it's a great variety. The gold would be beautiful as a highlight, the rose would be great as a blush or blush topper, and the bronze would be great around the face to warm it up. I didn't pick this up just because I knew that I really wouldn't use it but I highly suggest grabbing it if you know that you'll get use out of it.
I walked around the store with the First Aid Beauty FAB Beautique - $48 ($95 value) - in my basket, but ended up putting it back. The kit contains the 6 oz tub of Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration, a 0.5 oz bottle of Ultra Repair Hydrating Serum, a 2 oz tube of  Face Cleanser, 28 Facial Radiance Pads, and a 0.34 oz jar of Ultra Repair Intensive Lip Balm. This is a really great value if you already use these products and want to restock or if you want to try out the brand. If the kit had contained the Ultra Repair Hydra-Firm Sleeping Cream, as it's a current favorite and I'm thinking about needing a backup, I probably would have picked it up. I am interested in trying the serum, but I'm not currently in need of one. I probably won't use the cleanser either, and I feel like I'm constantly getting samples of it. I do love the Ultra Repair Lip Therapy in a tube, but I don't much like potted lip balms. Regardless of my reasons for not picking it up, this is a really great kit for a lot of people. If you are one of them - grab it while you can!
I really, really wanted the Bite Beauty The Perfect Bite Set - $25 ($59 value), unfortunately, my friend snatched up the last one. That's okay, she needed it more than I did, and I got the last Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector's Makeup Case in the store. The set contains four mini (0.05 oz) Amuse Bouche Lipsticks in Fig, Pepper, Honeycomb, Nori in an adorable little tin that is perfect for travel. This set is an amazing value and a great way to try the new formula if you haven't. I actually own Honeycomb and have Fig and Pepper on the Luminous Cream formula. I still kind of want to order the kit though.
I spotted the Maison Margiela REPLICA Discovery Set For Her - $65 ($75.00 value) online and was immediately in love. My adoration for the REPLICA Beach Walk has continued well into Fall and I have considered trying out other REPLICA scents. This kit contains 3 x 0.34 oz Travel sprays in Beach Walk, Lazy Sunday Morning, Tea Escape. I love that these are travel sprays not roller balls. They allow me to liberally mist myself with the scent so that I and everyone around me can experience it to the fullest. I am unapposed to owning another travel-friendly version on Beach Walk and this is a great way to try out Lazy Sunday Morning, and Tea Escape. Grab it before it's gone.
Overall, I'm pretty excited by the Holiday 2016 collections. I think that brands have done a really great job this year. Is there anything that you are loving for Holiday 2016?

We left for a wonderful vacation at the beginning of April and were lucky enough not to return to reality until about the middle of the month. Since we went South and it's starting to look a little on the warmer side, a lot of the products that I loved this month are warm weather essentials. So without further ado, here are the things I've been loving in April.


I was on my last dredges of the body oil from Avene that I had received as a sample. Suddenly I couldn't imagine going on without a body oil in my life. The stuff I had was nice, but I always like to try new stuff so I ended up deciding to pick up L'Occitane Almond Smoothing and Beautifying Supple Skin Oil and I couldn't be happier. One of the things that won me over was the packaging. It's got a sprayer (win) for easy application and the glass bottle, while it seems scary to handle with oily paws, is so luxurious. It's actually really easy to hold onto, and I just spray all over freshly dried skin as I'm getting out of the shower and then rub in. It's so easy, it smells so good, and leaves my skin feeling super moisturized. Perfect for my dry, sun-kissed skin.



While I was on the L'Occitane kick, I picked up a 500-point perk kit at Sephora that included their shower oil. I had zero intention of using it or liking it, but guess what? I LOVED it. L'Occitane Cleansing And Softening Shower Oil With Almond Oil is and does exactly what it says. I decided to try it to shave my legs and it was amazing. Best shave I've had. My legs feel so silky smooth and hydrated after. Total win. Then after I got sunburnt, this was the perfect body cleanser for my skin. It's kind of an oxymoron to me. It lathers up like a soap when it mixes with water and your skin feels clean afterwards, but it also is intensely hydrating. Almost enough to skip the Supple Skin Oil. Almost.



I think you're seeing a trend. I spent the month making sure my skin was nourished and looked it's best in shorts and a tank top. I had heard rumblings on how great this stuff was, so on a whim I ordered the Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream. First off, the scent is strong so it's either a pro or a con depending on if you like it. I happen to like the sweet pistachio, almond, and vanilla scent so to me it's a pro. It's enough that I can skip a perfume for the day. The texture is ultra-nourishing but light so it's not greasy. But, the big draw here is how it amazing and tight your skin looks after applying. They use Guaraná, Cupuaçu Butter, and Açaí to essentially boost circulation, energize, smooth the skin, restore elasticity, and keep skin looking young. I'm a skeptic when products seem to promise this much, but I'm just so in love with how my skin looks after applying this. Guaraná contains 5x's the caffeine of a cup of coffee; So my legs, which I'm normally a little embarrassed to flash in some shorts, are are on full display now and I'm strutting in those shorts. There is some shimmer here, but it doesn't make you look like a disco ball by any means. Just make sure it's fully rubbed in and absorbed before you sit your bum bum down.


I tried everything I could to stop myself from splurging on this. Unfortunately it was a losing battle. I got a sample on a card of the Maison Martin Margiela Replica Beach Walk Eau de Toilette and fell head first in love. They did a fantastic job really making you instantly feel like you're walking on a sandy beach. The notes highlight bergamot, lemon, coconut, musk, and cedarwood, but that doesn't even remotely do it justice. I smell the wet sand, the fire pit on the beach, the soft seaside breeze, and the ocean spray. Instant vacation in a bottle. I picked up the rollerball but I just couldn't get the feel of bathing in it like I like, so I wound up getting the full sized bottle. Not to worry though, I use the roller ball on my pulse points and then spritz myself with the bottle and I love it. This is the only perfume that went on vacation with me.


From the moment that I saw the packaging for the Urban Decay Beach Bronzer, I knew it was going to be a part of my collection. What I didn't know was that the product inside was going to win me over like it has. I picked up the shade Bronzed, because duh, and it's all I used all month long. It's a really smooth, buttery powder that takes zero effort to blend. I use an angled blush brush and apply it to the my hollows of my cheeks (or where my hollows should be), along my hairline, and under my chin and along my jawline. It takes no time, looks really natural, and I instantly have skin-kissed definition to my face. I was worried this shade, the darker of the two, would be too dark but it has worked beautifully with both winter pale and post-tan skin tones. But, seriously that packaging!


I realize that this shade is bright and probably better on dark skin tones, but I honestly don't care. I took the chance ordering Estee Lauder 'Pure Color Envy' Sculpting Blush in Poppy Passion and was not disappointed.  It's a deep roey red shade with goldish shimmer that with a light hand is the most beautiful pop of color to your skin. The blush is silky and applies evenly and lasts all day long. This morning I applied a little heavy to one cheek, and I just used the brush I had applied my foundation with to buff it out. It's made it look stained and not like I was having a bad skin reaction. It's beautiful applied with a stippling brush or a less dense blush brush like the Real Techniques Blush Brush. This is going to be a must-have all summer long.



I happened upon this Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Poured in Rose Gold by chance. I spotted the color and just loved it. This is a super creamy highlighter that's easily applied as a highlight with your fingers or lightly with a stippling brush. This color is a little dark for fair skin tones, so use a light hand and blend really well and it seems to just melt into the face adds the perfect amount of glow. I really like all Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector formulations, but I really like the poured the best. I feel like the texture is easier to work with and more versatile. I loved this one so much I also picked up Opal even though I have it as a liquid and powder. I've also taken a cream shadow brush to it and applied it to my lids for an easy quick look. It gave a really nice natural glow to the lids. This is just so great to work with. I highly recommend.


Normally I will apply a lip balm with my skincare routine to prep my lips, but lately I've swapped it out with the Stila Lush Lips Water Plumping Primer and I love it. I think the key to using this is actually giving it the time to soak in to plump and soften. I've found that everything applies smoother and my lips don't have all the lines. It's almost like a nourishing plumper without the sting. It's milkier in color so with lighter colored lipsticks I see less of my natural lip color peeking through and I don't have to build up layers. I'm not sure it really helps your lipstick last much longer but it seems like it does and it makes your lips looks good while it is on.


Back in February I had a few inches cut off my hair. With my new shorter 'do I wanted to create natural waves with definition and texture. Enter AG Texture Gloss Undone Definition. This is such a cool product; it can work as a light pomade to create the texture and separation I'm looking for with both straight hair and waves. I'll use it right after blow drying and it makes my hair looks finished. Also on days that I'm feeling like my ends are looking ratty and dry I rub the smallest amount onto the ends and it makes my hair suddenly look glossy and healthy. I get a lot of compliments when I'm using it.


Husband had a gift card and had the brilliant idea to spend it on Microsoft Health Bands for both of us. I was kind of skeptical at first but it's a pretty integral part of my daily routine now. I don't wear it all day long, but I do wear it while I'm on the treadmill and asleep. On the treadmill, I use it just to make sure I don't kill myself. It also tells me calories burned and warns me if my pulse is getting too high. My favorite thing about the band is the sleep tracking and alarm functions. It's been really cool to see the statistics of my sleep. Last night for instance, I only got 18 minutes of restful sleep, with five and a half hours of light sleep. It also tells me that I woke up six times, and took 21 minutes to fall asleep. And, I am exhausted. So today, I'm going to make sure to eat lighter, exercise a little longer, and go to bed earlier. You can also set it to wake you up at a certain time in the morning. It's a nice gentle wake up with increasing intensity vibrations. It's not a loud obnoxious alarm that jolts you  out of hibernation. It also has an option of a smart alarm to start waking waking you up gently within a half hour of your alarm if you are already starting to toss and turn. This prevents you from waking up from a deep sleep with can be harder on you and disorienting. There are a ton of other features and apps and I haven't even scratched the surface. This is definitely an awesome piece of livestyle technology.


So what have you been loving this month? Anything I should try?

Do you have any thoughts on these products?