Bling, Bling, Bling

Hello friends!

I've recently been getting into wearing jewelry after a long phase of being a tomboy and not wearing anything "girly" or "cute", but I came across My Jewel Candy and found some super cute and chic accessories. You should check it out if you're cool enough #swag …. wow I need to stop. Anyway! here are some sets featuring some of my favorite pieces! Enjoy!!! x

Untitled #293 by kat-94 featuring a gunmetal ring

Untitled #295 by kat-94 featuring black boots

Untitled #294 by kat-94 featuring yellow gold rings

Untitled #296 by kat-94 featuring a travel bag

Untitled #297 by kat-94 featuring a red tote bag

June Favs

June Favorites! by kat-94 featuring white and black shoes

T By Alexander Wang pima cotton shirt / NIKE white and black shoes, $120 / Curling mascara / Anastasia Beverly Hills highlight makeup

Clothes: Pretty simple, I bought the biggest, plainest shirt I can find at Brandy Melville that looks pretty much exactly to the one above, and I wear it everywhere. It's such an easy piece to work with-whether you're dressing up or down. For day time I usually tie the end in a knot since it's a huge ass tee and wear high waisted shorts. For night, I tuck it into some black skinny jeans but kind of untucking it so it has like a bundled look(??) and throw on a jacket and boots.

Shoes: I posted about my Nike Roche Run shoes on my last haul and I've been living in them ever since. They are super comfortable to walk around in-whether its for an hour or even 8 hours. The material on the outside also lets your feet breath fresh air so your feet don't die of sweat and smell when you take them off, which is always important to have in a good exercise shoe.

Television/Movies: You've probably seen gifs of Tina Blecher acting like her very awkward young teen self all over tumblr either talking about butts or just being plain weird. Bob's Burgers is such a hilarious show and I've already watched all four seasons in like 3 1/2 days. Hey isn't that what's summers all about? Idk.
      As for movies, I was a little hesitant about seeing Saving Mr. Banks firstly because it has Tom Hanks in it, and personally I'm not his biggest fan. Second, it's about Mary Poppins which again, I'm not the biggest fan of. But so many people recommended this movie so why not (take a crazy chance). After watching this movie, I can honestly say that I smiled so big at certain parts and even teared up at the end. As a disney fanatic, this movie just hit me in the gut and !!!! [exclamations are the only way I can express how I feel about this movie]. Now I can't stop singing Mary Poppins' songs around the house haha.

Makeup: Ooh girly stuff now. So this past month I've actually liked quite a few things. Starting off with the Benefit: They're Real! Mascara. For mascara, I don't like change. I've been sticking to the same brand of mascara for about 3 years now and I still don't plan on changing it. After hearing so many people rave about this one, I decided to get the sample on at Sephora. After using it a couple times, I can say that it does make my lashes super long and full after putting 1-2 coats on it.
     As I've probably already mentioned more than once on this blog, I am big on eyebrows. I think they're the most important thing on the face. Unfortunately, I lack in that department after a regrettable phase I went through with a tweezer and razor ( I still don't like to talk about it). After having trouble with sparseness and just lack of a left brow, I bought the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in the color Ebony. I find that with powder, it just covers the hairs you already have instead of filling in, and when you do fill in the powder rubs off after an hour. This pencil really fills in the sparse areas and adds the illusion of fuller brows, and you don't have to worry about whether half your brow has rubbed off because when you apply it, it sticks on.
     After browsing through Lush one day, I came across the Breath of Fresh Air Toner. And it literally is 'a breath of fresh air'. I spray this on one in the morning and once at night and my face feels so refreshed right after. It includes many vitamins that help improve your skin to be the best it can be!

[[Sorry]]

EH-GAD IM A HORRIBLE BLOGGER. HOW COULD I HAVE ABANDONED THIS BLOG FOR THREE MONTHS?!?! I hope you can forgive me, (if theres anyone even out there who's reading this and will accept my apology). But here's a list of excuses as to why I haven't been writing for a while:

• Of course school has to be my first reason. We all know how it is, school gets in the way of everything-easy as that. Especially college finals at the end of second semester *shivers* I'm just glad it's summer. Also with transferring to a new college, I had to meet with counselors and all that junk and "plan out my future", bleh. 
• Right after school ended, I had a pretty hectic start to my summer vacation. In a good way of course, as in I traveled and hung out with friends and family and even went to my first party ( I know, I'm almost 20 and I've never been to a party ever, not even a high school dance, sad) 
• Writers block. Looking at all these other fashion/beauty/lifestyle blogs, I just don't know what to write about that's interesting or appealing to an audience. I feel like everyone's done the same thing and I want to do something more creative but I just can't think of anything else. I'll wait till someone thinks of it and than I'll do that, hahah get it? idk. 
• As a result from writers block comes laziness. Oh that summertime slack, always taking over me this time of year. 

Well there you have it folks, I think those are some top notch excuses as to why I haven't been blogging these past couple of months. After my travels though, I spent a ton of money on stuff I probably don't need but will look good and experienced some cool shit so I will be posting hauls and lifestyle stuff later one this week. See ya then (: x

February Favorites

So February has come to an end, and now we are three months into the new year. Time flies by so quickly! It feels like yesterday we were celebrating the start to 2014, and suddenly March has begun.
Here are some of my favorites of this past month.

I have sadly been cursed with an itchy scalp for the past couple of years. I've tried every remedy from Head & Shoulders shampoo to even Tea Tree Oil but nothing seems to be doing the job. I went to the hair salon recently and asked my hair dresser if she had any tips- she recommended the Moroccan Oil Dry Scalp Treatment. I remember loving Moroccan Oil products a few years back, but I guess I kind of forgot about it. I picked this gem up, and I can honestly say it actually works. After applying it and leaving it in for 15 minutes before my shower, it instantly relieved any itching. I don't use this every time I shower, but only once a week. Remember, too much product on the scalp can cause more trouble. 

I know this was in my last favorites, but I can not get enough of the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer.   After reason discovery that my dark circles are darker than I thought, my daily routine consists of lightly applying Laura Mercier Concealer and than topping it off with the NARS one- it really gives off a beautiful finish! I have the color Vanilla. If you've been keeping up with my posts, you know I talked about the Topshop Cream Blush in Flush. Don't be alarmed by how pigmented it looks when you first apply it to your cheek- you just gotta blend it out! After blending it gives off a beautiful, natural look. I have a serious dry lip problem, and cheap lip balms just can't help it. I've heard so many people talk about the Baby Lips Lip Balm by Maybelline, and I give this product an A+. It keeps my lips moisturized all day and I never have the need to keep re-applying it constantly or lick my lips if I don't have it on hand. I also hate lip balms that have any fruity flavor to it, so I was very happy to see that they had a Peppermint one. 

Recently I've been back to smelling more and more girly. I've always loved perfume, but with early classes every day putting perfume one always slips my mind. I love the Dior Addict scent. It has such a light, airy, flowerly smell that reminds me of spring time and peonies and Paris. 

xx 

The Mini Haul

So Valentines Day was two weeks ago, and as a single lady (put your hands up) I decided to spoil myself with the beauty items. I don't need a man to buy me chocolates and stuff-I can do that on my own. But it's still nice to get stuff without using my own money. Anyway, getting sidetracked here.

Clinique Neutral Territory 2 Palette: Normally, I'm not one to buy eyeshadow palette's, or even wear eyeshadow in general! But if I am browsing around for some shadows, I'll always be drawn to neutral shades. The Clinique Palette is exactly that, but better. It's neutral shades but not the normal browns and taupes you see everywhere.  I'll usually use the second, third, and fourth shade on a daily basis. The colors are sheer but still add a hint of color to your look.

Topshop Blush Morning Dew: It's known that cream blushes look more natural looking than powder. When you first dab it on your face, don't be alarmed by how pigmented it is- you just gotta blend it more and more. I basically use this everyday for a natural pinky tone; plus it works well on lips too.

Real Techniques Blush Brush: Ever since I bought their Expert Face Brush, I have been wanting another Real Techniques brush for a long time. I decided to purchase the Blush Brush cause I assumed it could be used for foundation powder as well-but because of how light and soft it is, it doesn't. Though I still love this brush, it is just meant for powder blush and/or some highlight.

Sonia Kashuk Eyebrow Enhancer: Long time ago, I came across a pair of eyebrow scissors and tweezers. I made the unfortunate mistake of experimenting with my eyebrows to look and feel more adult-ish. Sadly the hairs I had cut off and removed did not grow back, leaving me look confused uneven all the time. Though I tried everything-vaseline, shampoo and conditioner, exfoliating, nothing can bring them back. Not even Anastasia's eyebrow serum brought them back.
Unless any of you guys know a good eyebrow technique of making them fuller, I bought the Sonia Kashuk eyebrow enhancer. I haven't seen any results yet, but I'll keep you updated.

xx

Beauty Cravings

current cravings by kat-94 featuring Laura Mercier

Clinique oil free face moisturizer / Origins skincare, $53 / Laura Mercier body moisturizer / Moroccanoil straightening iron, $53 / Bumble and Bumble styling product / Nars cosmetic, $35 / Anastasia Beverly Hills brow makeup / Sonia kashuk cosmetic / Mineral make up / Origins concealer, $28 / NARS Cosmetics lip liner / Jo Malone London Peony & Blush Suede Cologne / MAC 266 Small Angle Brush, $27

One of my New Year's resolutions was to not spend so much on products. So in the mean time, I've been keeping a list of what I'm looking forward to purchasing in the future-not all in one go of course. That would be.... not good haha. What are you craving for at the moment?

Foundations

 Foundation is the most important factor when it comes to putting on makeup. It brings in the whole entire look together and holds it in place. We've all gone through the process of finding the perfect foundation and going through trial runs of having it been the wrong color, bad coverage, or just simply not good. When it comes to foundation, I look for what most of everyone else looks for: Light with solid coverage. After 3 years of finding what best suits my skin, I've come to four good foundations with a different purpose to my makeup routine.

When I'm going out on the town or to a fancy dinner party, I turn to my Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation. Yes, it is a little heavy but it has amazing coverage- it can seriously cover any redness, acne, scars, etc. Unlike some others, this foundation does not smear or run off; when you put it on your face, it stays there until you rinse it off. Another factor is that it has a little bit of shimmer, which I usually wouldn't like but one nights out, it adds a bit of glow to the face. Plus I sometimes feel like Edward Cullen and embrace my glittery-ness. 

 For the days where my skin is looking relatively normal, I will turn to my beloved bareMinerals Original Foundation. I'm still not used to the fact that is a powder foundation, but I love the way it looks on my skin and that it feels so light- I can barely feel it on my face. I wouldn't say it gives solid coverage like Rimmel, but it does cover any light redness around the face. On days where I need some SPF and my skin has a little more redness than usual, I will turn to my Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream or my Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation from Benefit. I would say these foundations are about the same. Their coverage does cover r. Plus they both have an SPF of 25-35 which is great for those sunny days. 

December Favorites

December Favorites by kat-94 featuring white tops

Seeing as its a start to the new year, I thought I'd show you guys my December Favorites.

Clothes: I've been pretty much living in my Topshop Rib Sweater. It's an ideal comfy, cozy sweater that you can wear anywhere-whether you dress it up or dress it down, it's still cute and also a basic necessity. Another bonus is that it's beige and can be paired up with anything. Whether it be something black, white, green, red, navy, etc.

Makeup: I think I've mentioned this in a previous post, but I normally don't wear blush because it tends to make me look younger than I already am so instead, I use bronzer. I bought this bronzer a long time ago but kind of forgot about it until I remembered I had it and so, it is now a part of my daily makeup routine again.

Music: When people think of Moonlight Sonata people will automatically think of the first part, but what they don't know is that this song has three movements. As a former piano player (now trying to get back on track) I can without a doubt say that Moonlight Sonata No. 3 is so beautiful to listen to. I know it's not the normal sing song songs I would usually post, but hearing this motivates me to practice piano even more. It amazes me how somebody can play that fast and with both hands simultaneously playing at the same speed and even at different.

Shoes: I got these pair of beauts for my birthday two weeks ago and again, I've been living in them. They have the warmth of an Ugg boot, but without the ugliness of it. Instead, its chic & fashionable and has some cute buckles on the side. It's kind of like Eleanor's Selfridges boots, but less expensive.

TV Shows: This has LITERALLY become my favorite show (comment if you know the reference). My friend introduced this show to me, and normally I'm not a tv show kind of person, but I am definitely hooked on this show. I think I most related to Aubrey Plaza and her character April because I actually have a lot in common with her, minus the death/blood/scary related things. And I love Leslie and Ben's and April and Andy's relationships-I aspire to have one just like theirs. But seriously, I highly recommend this show.

October Favorites!

It is officially the end of October which means every single department store is adding the last finishing touches for the Christmas season. And that I get to do my October Favorites (wee)! 

1. Clothes: The weather down in SoCal is unbelievably hormonal; one week its pouring rain and the next, its 80 degrees and sunny. Whilst browsing around my mom's closet, I found this plain but cute cable knit sweater-something I've been looking for for years and I didn't even have to pay for it. It goes with pretty much everything, whether you layer it with a collard top underneath or just wear it by itself. Its a perfect autumn essential. 

2. Movies: Okay so as soon as it struck midnight on October 1st, I just had to pull out Hocus Pocus. It is one of my all time favorite {Halloween} movies and I genuinely laugh and cry throughout 95% of the film. Its so hilarious and there are so many jokes that I didn't get as a child that I get now and UGH its amazing. Another movie that I've watched is the Phantom of the Opera (2004). Now its not very halloweeny but it sure is spooky. I grew up with this movie, and by that I mean I have it on soundtrack cassette, seen the play and seen the 1920's version. I watched this a while ago and kind of forgot about it until I saw an ad for Phantom and remembered how much I loved it. Gerard Butler is incredibly sexy in this film and I just wish I was Christine Daaé (aka Emmy Rossum). Both of their voices are incredible and beautiful and I love that movie so so so much. fun fact, my favorite song is Past the Point of No Return- SO SEXY. Basically this movie is sexy.

3. Shoes: Autumn means boots. thats all. I've pretty much been living in my brown military boots throughout October and they just go with everything. 

4. Makeup: Autumn also mean dry weather so instead of putting on the BB Cream, eyeliner, mascara, bronzer routine, I've just been putting my bareMinerals Original Foundation powder with concealer and some eyebrow powder and just head out the door. I swear I would be the worst makeup artist because I hardly wear anything! But in all seriousness, this powder is amazing. It totally covers any redness I have on my face along with any imperfections. 

5. Food: Now what's October without candy?! Besides any kind of chocolate, m&m's are the only candy I will eat. Fun Fact, I've never had any other candy besides m&m and chocolate- I know, Im a freak. But yeah, I especially love their fall colors mix-makes me feel warm and happy inside haha. 

October Favorites! by kat-94 featuring a cable jumper

Everyday/Autumnal Makeup Look!

I've mentioned this before, but I'm not one to pile on a whole bunch of makeup when Im going to school or going out in general, especially when it starts getting to the colder season. If I could just use concealer and moisturizer every single day I would-but unfortunately I have more problems on my face that needs more coverage besides my dark circles and dry skin. This is just my every day makeup look and what I'm using now as the weather gets colder. Hope you enjoy! 

Base: 

I go two ways: I will either go with Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream or the bareMinerals original powder. Both are really great- they give such a natural finish but still cover up any redness or marks that you don't want to be seen. For concealer, I use the Sonia Kashuk concealer palette. It isn't fabulous and it isn't horrible, but it does the job. 

Cheeks: 

Im not really a blush person on account of how young I look already-blush just makes me look like I'm 5. So I just powder on some bronzer on my cheeks and temples and whatever else needs some bronzing. I use the NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny.

Extratees

For eyes, I also go two ways. If I really don't care what I look like or where Im going or I have to get ready at 6 for school, I'll use Neutrogena healthy lengths brown mascara. If I'm feeling especially girly, than I'll use the Buxom Lash black mascara. If I had to be deserted on an island and could only take one makeup item, it would be anything brow related. I will never leave the house without fixing them. The Anastasia Brow Powder Duo is a basic necessity for me. I'm almost hitting pan on the lighter brown but recently I've just started using both of them so its an even color. For lips, I will never ever be a lipstick or gloss person. I've always hated it and I think I'm just gonna stick to either a tinted lip balm or just chapstick. In this case, I adore the Baby Lips Lip Balm in peppermint. I hate anything fruity so this is just per-fect for me and it keeps my lips moisturized all day. 

August Favorites!

So I know we're already two weeks into September, but I felt like I should show you guys what I've been loving in the mont of August! Enjoy xx (: 

I've always been one to not really bother putting on sunscreen as a child and unfortunately, that turned out to be a bad decision-now I have all these dark spots on my face and have been recently getting an uneven skin tone ): I purchased the Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Correcter *whew what a name*. After 4 weeks of using it every morning and night, I can happily say my skin tone has very much improved! Along with putting that on, I also apply the Clinique Super City Block Sunscreen SPF 40. 

This has been my go-to face wash since the beginning of August and I can actually say, it works very well! I have combination skin and an oily T-zone so I needed to find something that wouldn't irritate my skin and BAM.. This is it. It smells very girly and sweet and it does the job by removing all makeup  and dirt off your face :3 

A lot of people say when you go to college, you have the freedom to wear lots of makeup and to dress up and stuff, but personally, I'm not that kind of gal. Im not one to spend an hour on my face-especially when I have to wake up at 6:00 am in the morning to drive 30 minutes away. I needed something that would do the job in an easy way and the Bare Minerals Loose Powder Foundation does the job. I've never used powder as a base before so this was very new to me and I was very impressed. It even covered up my middle eastern dark circles! :D (Weee!) 

Speaking of Middle Eastern dark circles, needless to say CONCEALER IS A NECESSITY FOR ME. I've spent my years trying to find a good concealer that covers my dark circles throughout the day; whether I'm at school all day or going out with friends, etc. This concealer really does the job by covering that up. It has a very rich, creamy consistency which makes it easier to blend in evenly. The only flaw is that it does crease after a couple of hours and so sometimes I have a long white line across my eyelid -.- I would have to get a primer or even powder my eyelid to mattify it but other than that, it's a great concealer.

Even though it's not autumn here in California doesn't mean I can't put on autumn inspired makeup! I got this L'oréal eyeshadow kit a long time ago but never really used it until now. It's been my daily makeup look for a couple weeks now and I love how it looks! I use the Hazel brown color as a base and use the gold-champagne shimmery color to highlight the inner corners, and than I take dark brown color from another pallet or the dark plum color and lightly shade that around the outer corners. After that I line my eyes with brown eyeliner and put mascara. It's a subtle autumn look I think I'm going to stick with for a while (:

I finally gave in and purchased the Batiste Dry Shampoo from UO. I held myself back for a while, convincing myself that I don't need it but I JUST WANTED IT. And it's true, it works wonderfully. It makes my hair smell like the girliest girl out there and adds more volume to my hair (which I lack very much of) and yeah, this is a great buy if you're thinking of getting it (: 

Now for Non-Beauty Favorites! (which is just music haha)

If you wanna hear what songs I've been loving for the autumn time, click here (:

Follow me on my Bloglovin & check out my Polyvore! 

Hope you have a wonderful day (: 

Haul

So I thought I'd truly start my blog by doing a little haul for you guys (whoever is actually reading this). So these are the items I bought this month. Enjoy! (:

If you watch Zoella, Tanya Burr, or any makeup youtuber who lives in the UK, you know they usually recommend the famous drug store product Wake Me Up Foundation by Rimmel. Im not the type of person to always wear foundation-I usually just conceal my dark circle-but the amount of times they raved and used this foundation, I just had to get it. One problem: it's only available in the UK-or so I thought! I came across this website that sold all world wide products online with free shipping! *angels singing* I ordered Soft Beige and I can honestly say it is a great product. The finished effect is has on your skin makes it look glowing and so smooth and its just great. I'll put the link at the bottom.

My next items are what I live by for hair care products. They are my holy grail and I don't think they'll ever leave my routine. The L'oréal Paris Smooth Intense Xtreme Straight Crème literally makes my hair so much smoother and straighter. I have naturally dry, frizzy hair and I've tried so many products but this one takes the cake. Just put a small amount on your hands and gently run it through your hair. After I use that I use the Biosilk silk therapy. This just adds extra smoothness and shine to your hair and it smells lovely. After that I use the Bumble and Bumble BB. Styling Lotion. I use this before I blow-dry to make my hair softer.

I know summer hasn't even started yet ,so why would anyone think of purchasing winter apparel?! But like the weirdo I am, I saw this coat on ASOS and I just fell completely in love with it! I was inspired by Eleanor Calder's 'Sparkle and Fade Coat' which unfortunately is out of stock so this is a very similar style. But I must warn to any of you interested in buying this coat- it runs pretty big. I got a size 2 and it looks like a size 4/6. So if you are above a size 2, order a size smaller. Also it's very long (My mom says I look like John Bender from the Breakfast Club). Instead of taking mine to the tailer and having them tighten it, I used a old clip from my moms closet to snap some two edges of the back together to tighten it myself.

Last but not least, pretty smelly perfumes! I have just about almost all the Dior perfumes out there but I especially love the Dior Addict. It smells so girly and I just love it. It doesn't have a fruity smell-which I hate. The only word I can use to describe the smell is pink and lovely. But it can be too heavy sometimes so a good, cheaper substitute to use when your going to school or even use it to go out is the Heidi Klum Surprise Fragrance/Body Spray. Unlike the Dior, it smells very womanly. I feel very mature when I put this on, like I should dine in a fancy yacht and wear pearls or something.

So there was my amazing awesome haul for you guys, hope you liked it! If you have any questions about the products just feel free to ask! I just started watching the Great Gatsby online and after reading the book, Im a little indifferent towards it. I loved Moulin Rouge and I can see it has had a very big affect on the movie and unlike many people out there, I am not very fond of the sound track. It's too..boss? I have no idea how to describe it except for that haha. I don't know, these are just my first impressions... Im really hungry now.

Well, this is where I sign off. Have a good day/night (wherever you are)!

- Wake Me Up Rimmel Foundation: http://www.feelunique.com/p/Rimmel-Wake-Me-Up-Foundation