12.30.2009

I cannot believe that the month is almost over. Tomorrow is New Years Eve, and I am so excited to celebrate! I have a feeling that 2010 will be a good year for me...I am graduating college in May, and my boyfriend is taking me to New York City and Ohio to see his family as a graduation gift. Two huge events to look forward to! Speaking of the boyfriend, it is his 28th birthday today. He would kill me if he knew I mentioned this because he thinks he is getting old. I think he is ridiculous!
Anyway, I wanted to do my last post for 2009, my monthly favorites. There aren't very many this month because I am still using a lot of the same products that I did last month. However, the few that I have chosen to include can be considered holy grail status, and I'm sure I will continue to love them as the winter months drag on ;)

Makeup:
* Mac Tendertone and Korres Lip Butter: With the weather being so dry here, I have been relying on these two products to save my smackers from becoming too chapped. The mac tendertones are discontinued, but I see them every single time I go into a CCO. I hope Mac brings them back again next summer because they moisturize like nobody's business. However, the Korres lip butter I recently showed in my Sephora haul is just as moisturizing, if not better! I have been using it religiously before bedtime, and I can still feel it lingering when I wake up in the morning.
* NYX Eyeshadow in Geisha: This is such a pretty shimmery white. I think in some lighting it also has hints of gold as well. I have been pairing this lately with red lips and black eyeliner, and it really keeps the look clean and focused.
* Stila Long Wear Lipcolor in Paramour: This has quickly become my favorite red. I never imagined I could pull off a blue-based red because my skin has a lot of yellow undertones. But Paramour comes off so wearable, and the blue tones in it make my teeth look insanely white! The staying power is great too. Even as it starts to fade, it leaves behind a crimson stain like you have just eaten a cherry popsicle. What more can I say? I am  a FAN!
* E.L.F. Eyeliner Pen: I purchased this a few months ago when E.L.F. debuted at Target. It was exactly $1! You can't go wrong with that. I neglected trying it for awhile, mainly because any sort of liquid liner scares me a little. This pen is pretty goof-proof though, and it gives a perfectly straight line.

Hair:
* There is only one hair item worthy of praise this month...can you guess what it is?
    My new CHI tool! This iron is my new love. It gets hot in seconds, and my ever-annoying and yet ever-so-present frizziness has really diminished since I started using it.

Fashion:
* I have been obsessed with scarves lately. I guess if there's ever a good time for this sickness, it is now when the weather is cold. I like to throw them on with anything and everything, but they look especially nice tucked into a jacket.
* Beaded Tops: Shiny sequins and beads are gracing every store I roam into. Blame New Years Eve if you must, but I personally love all the glitz and glitter. It is unabashedly girly.

~My honorable mention this month goes to champagne: For all your bubbly goodness...and for getting me safely and securely through the Holidays...Thank You Champagne!~


And here's a toast to all my beautiful readers. Thanks again, and Happy New Year!
♥Noelle

12.27.2009

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and Holiday! I just wanted to share a few special gifts I received, completely out of the blue too. But first, here is my FOTD, Christmas edition:



I wore: ~Clinique Perfectly Real Foundation
~Prescriptives Site Unseen Brightening Concealer
~MAC Conjure Up Blush
~UDPP
~NYX Geisha and Bare Escentuals Moss e/s
~ELF Waterproof Eyeliner Pen
~MAC Teddy Eyeliner on lower lash line
~CG Lash Blast
~Stila Long Wear Lipcolor in Paramour
~All makeup set with MAC Fix+


I was so excited to get gift cards from my family, especially one for Sephora. You can never go wrong with gift cards, even though they are a bit impersonal. I am so incredibly blessed, my family spoils me! Here are my favorites:

                                                           Kirkland Signature Brushes


NARS Pleasures Of Paris!!! Ok, so this is the perfect palette.


Lovely things from my best friend. She knows me so well.


This BCBG purse was a complete surprise! It's so beautiful, it reminds me of a Chanel ;) I love the chain straps and the dove gray color.



I am still shocked by my gifts! Especially since all I really wanted was a gift card to the local mall ;) Were any of you surprised with a special gift this year?
♥ Noelle

12.25.2009



~Merry Christmas everyone! Have a wonderful day spent with family, friends, and good food! And as always, THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading. You guys make my day!~

12.23.2009

Aside from the saucy name, "Meet for Drinks" is my go-to nail color for festive occasions. I wore it to complement my sailor costume on Halloween, and I am definitely going to sport the lovely lacquer on Christmas and New Years Eve. I just love dark, vampy, wine colors on short, manicured nails. In fact, I had a glass of Merlot immediately after polishing my nails and I couldn't help but notice that my polish matched my sparkling glass of vino.





~Without Flash~



~With Flash~

What color are you wearing for the Holidays?

12.21.2009




~I am not buying anything until after Christmas, but this pair of Steve Madden shoes are HOT! Enough to speed up my heart rate and make me feel faint. You can find them on the website under the "booties" category. They come in other colors as well, and they are currently on sale. Oh how I wish I could snag a pair. Be strong Noelle! ~

12.20.2009

I am so excited for this! To my understanding, MAC is FINALLY making cremesheen glasses permanent! And they are adding new colors as well. The collection releases March 4th. Now I don't have to hoard my beloved fashion scoop ;) Take a peek here:
http://www.temptalia.com/mac-too-fabulous-collection

I love Temptalia.
Ever since I went to Ulta and discovered NYX eyeshadows, I have been in love. I currently own six of the little potted wonders, all in the neutral family of course. I think neutral is the way to go when first trying a product. If you like the boring browns, beiges, and taupes, there is a good chance you will like the more exciting colors as well down the road. I actually think NYX shadows are quite comparable to MAC, and for a fraction of the price. I find them to be soft and pigmented. My only complaint seems to be the fall-out issue, but I get fall-out from almost every shadow i've tried, ranging from low-end brands to the higher-end variety. A good tip is to do your eye makeup before applying your foundation and concealer in order to avoid getting loose bits of shadow all over your cheeks. Then, once you are done applying your eye makeup, you can simply sweep off any excess that has fallen with a fluffy brush. If you haven't tried NYX, I really recommend you do. Besides Ulta,  http://www.cherryculture.com/  carries the entire NYX line, as well as http://www.nyxcosmetics.com/


Left to Right: Dark Brown, Iced Mocha, Aloha, My Favorite Color, Sahara, Geisha.
~All are shimmery except for Dark Brown, which is a matte~



Left to Right, the same order as above. Aren't they pretty, pretty? The last four are great all-over lid colors!

Happy Sunday,
Noelle <3

12.16.2009


I was awarded by one of the sweetest bloggers around, Emily, of http://emsloves.blogspot.com/. I am seriously baffled by the fact that anyone reads what I have to say EVER, let alone on a frequent basis. Writing has always been a passion of mine, but it is also really personal. The decision to start my own beauty/fashion/frivilous blog took a long time, but I am so happy that I made the leap into blogger-land. Thank you Emily for this award, and thank you to all of my lovely readers. You all put a smile on my face, and even though I have never met any of you, I still feel like I have some new-found friends. I wish I could pass this award on to everyone, because I would ;) But the rules are 10, so here they are:

~Crystal of http://www.lipglossgossip.com/. She was one of my first readers! I love her reviews on products, they are always honest and in-depth.
~Lynn of http://beautifulthingsdiary.blogspot.com/. Ok, so I kind of stalk her blog! I mean that in the most innocent and normal way possible ;) Her blog has a bit of everything, and I especially love her fashion posts.
~Christina of http://christina83writes.blogspot.com/. This beautiful red-head lives across the Atlantic. I am so jealous of the shopping opportunities in the UK.
~Natalie of http://fashionfoodfrivolity.blogspot.com/, I recently discovered Natalie's blog, and I am already in love with her outfit postings. It gives me some great inspiration. If you love fashion, definitely follow her!
~Kate of http://vintagegold14.blogspot.com/. Kate just started her blog a few months ago, and I always want to support new beauty bloggers. So far, she has done three posts about skincare, and Lord knows I could use some help with that.
~Chloe of http://www.thechloeconspiracy.com/. Ok, this girl is AMAZING! I cannot get enough of Chloe. Her writing is brilliant, and her taste in clothes is equally incredible. Every outfit of the day she wears, I want! She is funny, witty, and just plain cool.
~Leann of http://mymakeuphabit.blogspot.com/. Again, another recently discovered blog. LeeAnn is an actual makeup artist, so her tips are really helpful.
~Feline of http://anythingshallow.blogspot.com/. This girl is an engineering student, and a very stylish one at that!
~Eve of http://xlovelymakeupx.blogspot.com/. I can't get enough of her hauls and makeup looks.
~Muhsine of http://bubblegarm.blogspot.com/. She is one of the most popular beauty bloggers out there, and there is definitely a reason why. She was the first blogger that I ever followed, and will continue to faithfully follow. You girls all must follow too, right?!

12.15.2009

I went to the beauty addict's mecca a few days ago to finally use up a gift card that I was given on my birthday way back in SEPTEMBER! I know, I waited a long time! But there are so many things I have been curious to try, and I didn't want to buy the wrong things. So here's what I carefully picked out for myself:





~You guys know I love Korres. I just ran out of face wipes, and I decided to give these a try. They smell great! I have noticed they are a bit on the dry side though.




I also got one of the Korres lip butters in Jasmine. It is a pretty nude/carmel color that leaves a nice sheen on
my lips. I absolutely love it! Aside from my MAC tendertone, this lip butter is really moisturizing and I just love how soft it makes my lips feel. The smell, like all of Korres products, is wonderful.



My favorite purchase is defintely this: The Stila Long Wear Lip Color in Paramour. I watched Michele1218
from YouTube rave about it, and she convinced me to go out and at least test it on the back of my hand. I can't say enough positive things about this. The color is so creamy. And the pen-like packaging is perfect for application. It's a cross between a lip liner, with the creaminess of a lipstick, and the subtle shine of a gloss. The berry-red color makes my teeth look super white, always a plus ;) I will be wearing this on Christmas, New Years, and nights out for sure.

So that's my little haul! Thank you for reading~

12.11.2009

A couple of weeks ago, a friend at school told me that Costco was selling CHI irons for 59 dollars! So of course, I had to take her word for it and check it out. Sure enough, I found my very own CHI for much less than the usual cost. I had been faithfully using a Remington straightener for about two years, and it worked all right. But it never got hot enough for my liking, and it seemed that as soon as I left the house my hair would get slightly wavy/frizzy again. My hairstylist uses a CHI to style my hair, and she has recommended I get one of my own for years now. I just never wanted to spend the money for some reason. I must confess that I am not a hair wizard. In fact, i'd probably rather do anything at any given time besides styling my hair. I am a "girly" girl, yet I never inherited the talent of properly doing my own hair. I usually just blow dry it...then straighten it...repeat! In the summer I let my waves run wild, but now that it is actually cold here in southern CA, I can't bear to leave the house with wet hair.
So needless to say, I love my new find! It definitely straightens much better than my old cheapie, and the style lasts. You can also curl your hair with it, but I have yet to attempt that. My dream is to one day own a GHD. That seems to be the "holy grail" hair tool for everyone on Youtube, and i so wish I could afford one of those babies! But I really am happy with my fab hair tool, and Costco's deals are unbeatable.



Thanks for reading!

12.08.2009

Since I got a couple requests asking me to test out the Burt's Bees Acne Spot Treatment, I wanted to let you girls know how it was working. Well, unfortunately...it wasn't, or should I say, it didn't. I think it actually made my spots worse! I think I might be allergic to the tea tree oil in it, because instead of reducing my redness, it made the redness even more noticeable. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I just didn't see any results at all, and I used it more than a few times over this past week. I'm not saying it is a horrible product. Everyone's skin is different, and even though it did nothing for MY skin, that doesn't necessarily mean that it wouldn't work wonders for someone else. So I went back to CVS today and bought this instead:


It is the Neutrogena On the Spot Acne Treatment with 2% benzoyl peroxide. Now, I don't know if benzoyl peroxide is better than salicylic acid, but I have used products containing both and they seem to work equally well on my skin. I have been using Neutrogena skin products for years now, and have always had luck with the brand. So I'm hoping this one serves me just as well. I guess i'll have to wait and see! However, the next time I go back to Ulta, I am definitely going to buy the Mario Badescu drying lotion. I have seen so many rave reviews on that particular product. The only reason I ever held off on buying it before  was that I never really broke out that often, so I figured why spend the money? I shouldn't have been so sure that my skin wouldn't act up. But for now, Neutrogena it is...

12.04.2009

I'm sorry the picture looks so small, not quite sure why. I think if you click on the picture, it may expand. And of course, the lighting is off! Everything I am wearing can still be found at stores, except for the shoes. Sadly, those were purchased a couple years ago.
I am wearing:
~Black jacket with attached belt: Forever 21
~Black top (underneath): Express
~Dark skinny jeans: Express (stella fit)
~Creme scarf (so soft!): Nordstrom
~Leopard print peep toe heels: Guess




Thank you for reading,
<3 Noelle

12.02.2009


I don't know if it's because of college finals or the stress of the holidays that is causing my skin to freak out, but lately my chin and nose have become riddled with spots. I have never really had too much trouble with acne, but I did break out once in a while during my teen years. Oh the joys of adolescence ;) I thought that maybe once I reached my twenties, all traces of breakouts would magically disappear. I didn't take into account how stressful my last year of college was going to be. So, let's just blame my bad skin on school these days. I don't break out that often, but when I do, it isn't pretty. I get horrible cystic bumps, almost always on my chin. I think it must have something to do with resting my hand on it during boring lectures.

So this morning before class I went to CVS and bought the Burts Bees Spot Treatment. It is a little bottle with yellowish liquid. I'm hoping for a miracle. It contains 0.75% salicylic acid, which is supposed to eliminate current acne, as well as prevent future breakouts. Here is what the package says: "This natural spot treatment is clinically proven to help reduce and improve the appearance of blemishes without irritating skin. Formulated with tea tree, calendula, yarrow, and parsley extracts to help soothe skin and reduce redness and borage extract to promote healthy skin resulting in clear and smooth skin, naturally." Well i hope so! I have never tried Burts Bees, but I have heard many wonderful things about the brand. I am going to put some of it on a few spots that I have tonight and see how and if it works. I'm sure they won't disappear overnight. But I must say I am excited to try a new product, even if it is for something as annoying as blemishes.
I was fortunate enough to be given two blog awards today, one from Catanya of http://catanyasthings.blogspot.com/ and also one from Laura of http://magnolianotes.blogspot.com/. Thank you so much girls! These really do mean a lot to me because I want to make sure that everyone actually enjoys what I blog about. Awards offer a little reassurance ;)



I believe I have already received the award that Laura gave me, but I feel bad not accepting!  I want to pass the love on to these  fellow bloggers for both awards as well, or maybe just the one they haven't received yet: