It's chocolatey delicious! Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer in Chocolate (Medium/Deep) - Review, Photos, Swatches

I love this bronzer.  I feel like now I could just post a few pictures of it and the review would be complete!  Alas, I think I ought to share a few more details as to why Too Faced's Chocolate Soleil Bronzer in Chocolate (Medium/Deep), $30.00 for .35 oz, has been elevated to my All-Time Fave list!

Spring 2013 Tag

Cherry blossoms near my house!

What is your favourite Spring nail polish? I am in love with CoverGirl's Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss in Out of the Blue!  I also love Sally Hansen's Barracuda.  What can I say, I heart blue nail polish!

What is your must have lip colour this Spring? YSL Rouge Volupté Shine in Pink in Confidence.  It's glossy pink fabulousness is so comfortable to wear and can be applied without a mirror - yay!

YSL Rouge Volupté Shine in Pink in Confidence

Show/Tell us about your favourite Spring dress? Like Tracy, I'm not a very good "girl" when it comes to wearing dresses/skirts!  I did pick up a maxi dress recently that I really like but I've yet to wear it!

What is your favourite flower? Roses, cabbage roses, and peonies.

What is your favourite Spring scarf/accessory? My earrings from Target I've been wearing almost every day!  I also love my gray and white chevron scarf my mom surprised me with!  She found it on my Pinterest board titled "My Dream Wardrobe" and got it for me!  How thoughtful is that?!

What is your favourite Spring candle? A Harry & David candle called Lemon Bars I got from Publix; it smells AMAZING and never gets overwhelmingly sweet.  I always hear Tia Carrere from Wayne's World saying "Whammy bah!" whenever I read Lemon Bars.

What is your favourite body spray/perfume for Spring? I can't stop wearing Chloe!

What is Spring like, where you live? Beautiful!  The azaleas, dogwoods, and cherry blossoms are blooming, and the weather is perfectly warm during the day and cool at night.  Spring in Atlanta fools you into thinking summer won't be that bad.  Then it's 99 degrees in July and you can't believe you ever had to employ a cardigan outside the house!

I love cherry blossoms!  This is the one in front of my mom's house.

What is your favourite thing about Spring? Definitely the warmer temperatures.  It's so nice to walk outside and not need a fleece jacket and gloves!

Are you a Spring cleaner? Hmm...I'm just a cleaner, period!  I go through my stuff throughout the year and donate the things I don't need to Goodwill.  Reorganizing things is so satisfying to me.  I also just love when things are clean in general; my house, my office, my car, even myself!  I am a shower fiend and always have been!

Anyone who wants to do this tag is welcome to!  Let me know if you do it so I can check out your answers!  :)

What is your favourite Spring nail polish? 

What is your must have lip colour this Spring? 

Show/Tell us about your favourite Spring dress? 

What is your favourite flower? 

What is your favourite Spring scarf/accessory?

What is your favourite Spring candle? 

What is your favourite body spray/perfume for Spring? 

What is Spring like, where you live? 

What is your favourite thing about Spring? 

Are you a Spring cleaner? 

L'Oreal Strawberry Blonde, With A Twist Infallible 24H Shadow (Miss Candy Collection) - Review, Photos, Swatches

What color eyeshadow did you most often wear in high school?  I rocked a pale, shimmery pink from Cover Girl called Pink Chiffon (they still make it!) in my early high school years, and a sheer iridescent violet loose powder shadow during my later years there.  I have no idea who made the violet shadow, but I know I wore it for years - even during college.  When I saw L'Oreal's With A Twist, an iridescent violet loose powder shadow, my heart leapt!  It looks exactly like the mystery shadow from my early years of wearing makeup!

L'BRI Pure n' Natural 7-Day Facial Skincare - Review, Photos

When Sue Nelson contacted me to ask if I'd like to try a 7 day trial of L'BRI skincare, I was excited!  An aloe vera based skincare line free of parabens, waxes, lanolins, SLS, alcohols, mineral oils, artificial colors, and synthetic fragrances?  You can see why I jumped at the chance to try it out.

Milani Color Statement Lipstick in 08 Ruby Valentine - Review, Photographs, + Swatches

Milani Color Statement Lipstick in 08 Ruby Valentine 

Milani Color Statement Lipsticks are the lipstick rock stars of the drugstore set!  I just typed "drugstar" - maybe that's a good description!?  For $5.49, these lipsticks pack a punch of pigmented color.

Does Revlon Lash Potion mascara contain the magic wand for bewitching eyes? - Review + Photos

If you follow Revlon on Twitter, you probably noticed the mysterious #castaspell hashtags.  The campaign led up to an advertisement featuring one of their beautiful brand ambassadors, Ms. Emma Stone, batting her bewitching lashes and making us all curious about Lash Potion by Grow Lucious mascara.

Maybelline Color Tattoo Seashore Frosts, Lavish Lavender - Review, Photos, Swatches

Maybelline's limited edition Summer 2013 Color Tattoo collection features eight gorgeous shadows.  As discussed in my previous post featuring Blue Paradise and Precious Pearl, these can be a bit of an adventure to track down.  If you love the Color Tattoo formula or just like duochrome finish eyeshadows, I recommend checking your local Walgreens or CVS.  I found one Walgreens with all eight shades, and another with none on the same day.  It's hit or miss, but when you do find them, it's pretty exciting!  :)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Blue Paradise, Precious Pearl (LE) - Review, Photos, Swatches

People are going crazy for the new limited edition Maybelline Color Tattoos, $6.99 MSRP, for Summer 2013 and after seeing their duochrome beauty in person, I can see why!

It's exciting to see duochrome shades available from drugstore beauty brands; previously they were only seen in medium to high end brands.  If you have no idea what a "duochrome" shade is, basically it's a color that contains pigments that make it appear to be a different color depending on the light.  My first duochrome encounter was with MAC's Bad Fairy nail polish, a gorgeous deep burgundy that flashed metallic copper and sometimes even green, depending on the light (swatches here thanks to Christine at Temptalia).  I LOVE duochrome shades in general because they're extra interesting.  They're like the prize in the bottom the cereal box!

LORAC Mint Edition Collection - Review, Photos, Swatches

Craving something minty fresh to add some flavor to your summer makeup routine?  LORAC's Mint Edition Collection, $36.00, available exclusively at ULTA might be just the dish!

This set contains 6 eyeshadows (3 matte and 3 shimmer), a coral blush, and a Lips With Benefits Gloss in Christian (coral pink), all tucked into an adorable mint and silver mesh wristlet bag.  If you're having a mint moment (or perchance a "momint"), you're going to lurve this collection!

Urban Decay Glinda Palette - Review + Swatches

The first few times I saw Urban Decay's Glinda Palette, $49.00, online at Sephora and Urban Decay, I just didn't feel it was meeting my "must-have" guidelines (those being that I have to get a lot of use out of it and I have to have heart palpitations whenever I think about it).  That all changed when I saw it swatched by a fellow bblogger!  All of the shadows looked like shades I'd get a lot of wear out of and I couldn't believe the gorgeousness of the split-pan duochrome color Aura!

MAC In for a Treat Pearlmatte Face Powder (Baking Beauties Collection) - Review + Swatches

MAC In for a Treat Pearlmatte Face Powder

MAC Baking Beauties for Summer 2013 (available now) is a twenty four piece color collection inspired by the artistry of cake decoration.  Today we're looking at the In for a Treat Pearlmatte Face Powder, a sweet confection for your cheeks!

Milani Pink Express + Flaming Race High Speed Fast Dry One Coat Nail Lacquers - Review + Swatches

All right stop, collaborate and listen!  Milani's back with some brand new editions...to their High Speed Fast Dry One Coat Formula nail lacquers!  Sorry, I'm having a Vanilla Ice moment. :)

April Favorites

April favorites time!  There were quite a few stand outs this month, so here goes in "ABC order" (that phrase completely takes me back to elementary school!):

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle: I have fine hair, but I have to use conditioner or else I won't be able to get a comb through it after washing.  3 Minute Miracle has been my go-to conditioner for years and I'd say it's definitely my most repurchased beauty item.  It's amazing!  It takes the ends of my hair from a dry, tangled mess into soft, happy, conditioned hair.  It never weighs my hair down, and the tube dispenser is perfection.  Here in Atlanta, I can always find it at local retailers for $3.00 or less!  

MAC Pink Buttercream Pearlmatte Face Powder (Baking Beauties Collection) - Review + Swatches

MAC Pink Buttercream Pearlmatte Face Powder

Sometimes you just need a treat...and MAC is there for you, boo, with twenty four gorgeous, calorie-free options!  MAC's Baking Beauties collection for Summer 2013 (available now) is a color collection inspired by the artistry of cake decoration.  The collection consists of 2 Loose Glitter Pigments, 5 Pro Longwear Paint Pots, 1 Haute and Naughty Mascara, 4 Lipsticks, 5 Mineralize Tinted Lip Balms, 1 Lustre Drops liquid bronzer, 2 brushes, 3 Nail Lacquers, and 2 Pearlmatte Face Powders.

MAC Summer 2013 Baking Beauties Collection

The Pearlmattes were the two decadent items that made their way home with me, and today I'll be reviewing Pink Buttercream {Click here to see my In for a Treat review}.

Guerlain Teint Beige Meteorites Powder Compact - Review + Swatches

Guerlain Pressed Meteorites Powder Compact Shade 02 Teint Beige

If any of my fellow makeup nerds watch Homeland, you didn't miss the fact that the compact Carrie slipped to her informant Lynn Reed (containing the device to download the Prince's phone info, natch!) was a beauty from Guerlain.  The next time I was at Sephora, I spied a smaller version called the Guerlain Meteorites Powder Compact and was impressed by the softness of the powder.

Vitamin E Active Moisture Eye Balm by Elizabeth Dehn for One Love Organics - Review + Photos

Shea butter...I love it.  It banishes dryness like nothing else, and it's the star ingredient in the hand cream I use every night before bed.  After seeing posts from several of my favorite bloggers raving about the amazingness of a new eye product bursting with shea butter called Vitamin E Active Moisture Eye Balm, I was in.

Sunday Link Love

How was your Sunday?  I spent the afternoon taking pictures of some new products I'll be testing this week, and I can't believe the gorgeousness of this Dior Addict Gloss in Venus!  It's sparkly, non-sticky, unscented, and unflavored - amazing!  Did you pick up anything new this weekend?  I'm getting ready to head out with a couple of gals to see our friend Hilary's new house and have dinner.  I'm so excited!

Melissa from Kiss and Makeup shows you how to achieve the full dark brow look with easy to follow instructions!

Coco at The Beauty Milk talks about the new FTC disclosures for bloggers.

Check out the $20 Lorac GLOgetter palette with Lisa from Swatches and Whatnot // Makeup and Nail Polish

Alison at 10amBeauty breaks down Sephora's fragrance samplers (great deal alert)!

Did you catch Amber from Beauty Junkies Unite on HSN showing off an amazing tan thanks to Beautisol?  She did so well on live TV!  Beautisol seems like a must-have product for those seeking a sun-kissed look without the orange tone and awful smell that accompanies most self-tanners!

What's in my bag?: Office Edition

Some mornings just don't go your way.  Maybe your alarm didn't go off.  Maybe on your way out of the kitchen, you tripped and dumped the entire contents of your coffee mug down the front of your shirt.  Maybe your kids refused to get dressed or Felix and Fido got into a nasty brawl!  Life is full of surprises and all you can do is expect the unexpected.  There will be days when you're going to need to slap yourself together in record time in the office bathroom or behind the closed door of your office, so I think it's a great idea to keep a backup beauty bag in your desk drawer.  That way, you'll always have it if you need it and you won't have to spend time tossing what you need into a bag and taking it with you to work.  See also: forgetting makeup bag at work...thus causing more trouble for you the next morning when you remember and panic!  Here's what's in mine!

Hard Candy Sky Just Nails Nail Color - Review + Swatches

Hard Candy Sky Just Nails Nail Color is a very light pastel blue with iridescent blue micro shimmer.  I like how the shimmer gives this color a little dash of pizzazz on the nail! 

MUA Undressed Palette + Undress Me Too Palette - Comparison, Review + Swatches

MUA Undressed (black) and Undress Me Too (white) Palettes

Looking for great dupes of Urban Decay's famous Naked and Naked2 palettes for a fraction of the $50 price tag?  These £4.00 (about $6.14 USD/$6.22 CAD) palettes from Makeup Academy (MUA) may be just the ticket!

I first came across MUA palettes whilst perusing FOTD (face of the day) posts on Instagram.  Makeup Academy (MUA) is a quality range of affordable cosmetics sold online and at Superdrug locations in the United Kingdom.  According to the MUA site, "...consumers can buy amazing palettes, foundations and primers all for under £4!"  MUA ships internationally for a flat-rate of £7.95 (about $11.51 USD/$11.66 CAD).