My Top 5 Winter Nail Polishes of 2015

Every winter, my favourite nail colours change slightly. Some of my previous favourites were black, royal blue, and mint green. This year, I have been especially loving berry tones and dark nails. These are a few of the nail polish shades that I have been reaching for over and over again the past couple months:

O.P.I. "Lincoln Park At Midnight"

This nail polish has been a favourite of mine for a long, long time. Probably about 7 or 8 years. It is a dark purple shade that almost looks black, but when it catches the light, it has a beautiful shimmery effect to it. I have always loved the O.P.I formula, and this nail polish is such an amazing quality. The only critique I've had of O.P.I. polishes in the past is that they take a while to dry completely. BUT I discovered a trick recently to make nails dry almost instantly. After you're done painting your nails and putting on the top coat, stick your hand into a bowl of ice water for about a minute (or until your fingers feel numb!). It seriously works! Now nothing can stop me from wearing this nail colour all the time!

Rimmel 60 Seconds "Red, Steady, Go"

I bought this nail polish last year and still love it. After buying it, I loved it so much that I actually went out and bought it in about five more shades too! The bottle says the nail polish dries in 60 seconds, and while that may be stretching it a little, it honestly is dry within five minutes! It's so convenient when you are in a rush and want to paint your nails before heading out or before going to bed. This shade is a really pretty true red colour, and it's a classic to go with my mostly black, grey, and navy winter clothes!

Essie "Jiggle Hi Jiggle Low"

The company that I work for owns Essie and I am able to get a 50% discount, meaning I have been trying lots of new Essie nail polishes this season! I tried this shade for the first time a few weeks ago, and instantly fell in love. It's a beautiful metallic colour that really sparkles in the light. I kept finding myself staring at my nails while I was wearing it because they were so shimmery, and it almost looked like there were tiny diamonds on my nails! I will definitely be using this nail polish so much this season.

Essie "The Perfect Cover Up"

This is another new Essie polish that I tried this season. I had been wanting a new navy nail polish, and this one was perfect! It's a dark navy that almost has a grey look to it. It's a really nice dark nail polish and such a perfect colour for winter. Like all Essie nail polishes, the quality is amazing, it goes on so smooth, and lasts a long time.

NYC "Columbus Circle Crimson"

My final nail polish favourite this season (and the one I am currently wearing) is this one from NYC. This polish is a deep cranberry shade that is one of my favourites during the Autumn/Winter seasons. I think it looks so perfect with the dark colours I like to wear during this time of the year. Like the Rimmel nail polish, this one dries almost instantly, so it is so convenient and easy when you don't have a ton of time to dedicate to painting your nails.

Thanks for reading! Let me know what your top nail polishes are this season!

My Top 5 Autumn/Winter Lipsticks

When it comes to makeup, a nice statement lip is definitely my favourite part of any look! Now that it's December and getting into winter and the holiday season, I have been absolutely loving dark lips and red lips even more than usual. I am a bit of a lipstick addict and have so many different ones that I wear regularly. Out of all my lipsticks, these are the ones that I've been wearing most this season:

from left to right: L'Oréal "British Red," Wet N Wild "Cherry Bomb," Rimmel Kate Moss "#10,"
L'Oréal "Blushing Berry," Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain "Smitten"

First up is one of the shades that I added to my collection fairly recently: L'Oréal "British Red." Like all of the L'Oréal lipsticks I've tried, this lipstick is such great quality, lasts a long time, and is hydrating. I love this colour, and it has kind of an orange tint to it, which is different from other red lipsticks that I have. I feel like it's a really versatile shade, so it will look just as good in the summer as it does in winter!

My favourite makeup trend this season is dark lips, Besides my red lipsticks, I didn't have any dark lipsticks up until a couple months ago when I bought this shade: Wet N Wild "Cherry Bomb." I've been loving the way this colour looks with simple eye makeup, creamy skin, and strong eyebrows. The only downside to this particular formula is that I find it quite drying, so you really need to keep applying lip balm throughout the day. I think this was a perfect first step into the dark lipstick trend, and for my next lipstick purchase, I might look for one that is even a little bit darker!

If you were to take a look through my makeup collection, you would probably notice straight away that I have a little bit of an obsession with red lipstick. Overall, I probably have at least 10 different red lipsticks. But what can I say...it's a classic look that I never get tired of! This is probably my favourite out of all my red lipsticks: Rimmel Kate Moss in #10. I bought this (and 2 other red lipsticks from the Kate Moss line) last year and have loved them so much that they are my go-to lipsticks. The quality is great, and I think red lipstick is almost always the perfect finishing touch to anything I wear!

Another trend I've been loving is berry toned lips! You already saw my dark berry lipstick above, but another one I've been loving is L'Oréal "Blushing Berry." It is more subtle than the darker berry lipstick I bought this season, but still adds a really nice pop of colour. I've been loving this lipstick with bronze eye makeup and think it adds a nice warmth to my face. This has also been one of my go-to colours for work this season, because it's more conservative than a really dark lip, and I don't need to worry about touching it up quite as often as a red lip.

And last up is a lip colour that I have actually had for about 3 years, but completely forgot I had up until recently: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in "Smitten." I have 4 shades of this Revlon balm stain and am totally in love with them all. First off, they are really nice colours, but best of all, since they are a balm stain, they are so moisturising on the lips which is perfect in winter, and they stay on for so long. This magenta colour has been so nice this season, and I love that is has a sort of purple tint to it because it's different from other lip colours that I have.

Thanks so much for reading! Leave a comment to let me know what your favourite lipsticks are during the Autumn/Winter season!

My Current Favourites

Recently, there have been lots of things that I've been loving! Some fashion and beauty related things, but also movies, food, books, and lots of other things I thought I would tell you about!

First of all, I absolutely love the colour coral because it just makes me think of Summer and vacations and fun! So since the weather has been getting a little nicer lately, I thought it was time to start incorporating more coral into my everyday life! So I got a new coral nail polish and a coral lip stain that I have been wearing almost constantly since buying them a couple of weeks ago. The nail polish is the 60 Second nail polish from Rimmel in the colour Instyle Coral, and the lip stain is Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in the colour Audacious. I mentioned both of those products in my previous post of beauty products I've been loving, and still love them so much! They are both really pretty shades of coral, the nail polish dries really fast and stays on well, and the lip stain lasts a while and doesn't make your lips dry.

            

P.S. I know my nail polish is a little chipped, but that was after a week and half of wearing it, so not too bad! :)

Another makeup product I got a couple of weeks ago is an e.l.f. eye shadow palette called the Beauty Book: Natural Look. I had seen it online before as a "dupe" for the Urban Decay Naked palette, and thought the colours looked so pretty. When I was home over Spring Break, I saw it in TJ Maxx and have been loving it ever since! It has six different eye shadows that help you make two different smoky eye looks (or you could mix and match for more looks), a brown eyeliner pencil, and eyeshadow primer. Like I mentioned before, I have a hard time finding affordable eye shadow that really stays on, but this one has been so good! The shades are really pretty, and I can wear it for hours without it creasing. I know I'll be wearing this eye shadow a LOT this Spring and Summer!

         

There are lots of new fashion trends I am loving at the moment as well. One is the new daisy trend. It's no secret that florals are popular every Spring, but I like the daisy look because it brings more of a trendy, edgy vibe to florals. I got a black and white daisy crop top from TJ Maxx that I am really excited to wear when it gets a little bit warmer! 

I'm also really loving Lauren Conrad's line for Kohl's this Spring. I have been a huge fan of her clothes for years, and am never disappointed! I would consider Lauren Conrad to be one of my style icons, and everything in her line looks like something that you would see her wearing. While I was home over Spring Break, I ended up seeing a Lauren Conrad dress that I loved and will be wearing to my cousin's wedding this summer and a formal event for my business fraternity next month! It's a little hard to see the detail in the picture, but it's a really pretty "fit and flare" style lace dress with some more sheer bits. I'll definitely be taking some pictures of myself wearing it at the business fraternity event and wedding, so you'll be able to see it better then!

While I was home, I had lots of time to relax and watched a bunch of movies, particularly ones that had been nominated for Academy Awards this year. I saw Dallas Buyers Club, American Hustle, Twelve Years a Slave, The Hobbit, Frozen, and my favourite, the Wolf of Wall Street. I really loved all of the movies and could see why they were all nominated for awards. And since seeing Frozen, I haven't been able to get the songs out of my head! I still want to see Her, Gravity, and some more of the Academy Award nominees, so I'm sure I'll be making some trips to Redbox over the next few weeks!

              

Recently, I haven't had as much time to read as I would like, but a book I read not too long ago and loved was the new Bridget Jones book. I loved the first two books and the movies, and although this book was a lot different in some ways, I still loved it! This book took place more than ten years after the second book which had been published in 1999, so Bridget has a whole new set of dating problems when modern day technology is added into the mix. Bridget also has two children in this book, but even though she's a mom, she's still the same funny and loveable Bridget from the first two books! If you haven't read the Bridget Jones series, I would really recommend it for the Summer as it's the perfect beach read. Next up on my list of books to read are Fault in Our Stars by John Green and Inferno by Dan Brown!

And the last thing I've been loving lately are Cadbury Mini Eggs. I always get so excited around Easter time when these are in stores, because they are so good! I've already eaten several bags and will definitely be stocking up on some more before the end of the season.

I hope you've enjoyed reading about some of the things I've been loving recently!

Beauty Products I've Been Loving

Over the past few months, I have really been trying to step out of my comfort zone when it comes to beauty products and change up the products that I use. Since my sophomore or junior year of high school, I had been using almost all of the same products and the same makeup routine. I've tried out countless products recently but here are some of my favourites!

The first thing I've been absolutely loving are the Real Techniques brushes. I watch some beauty gurus on YouTube and so many of them rave about these brushes, so when I saw some of them at Kohl's, I had to try them out. I currently have the kabuki brush, foundation brush, and my favourite, the expert face brush. These brushes are so soft and are really great to apply face makeup with. I use the kabuki brush for powder and bronzer, the foundation brush for applying concealer and powder under my eyes, and the expert face brush for my foundation. The expert face brush is especially amazing because as you apply your foundation, the brush buffs it into your skin, giving you a really smooth and natural finish. And to make the brushes even more awesome, they are really inexpensive (around $10 or less for most brushes) and you can buy them in lots of places like Kohl's, Ulta, and Walmart. I love these brushes so much and definitely plan to buy more! Next up on my "to-buy" list are the blush brush and the eye brushes!

brushes from left to right: expert face brush, kabuki brush, and foundation brush

Another product I've been using a lot are the eye shadow palettes by Wet N Wild. I had never tried this brand out until this past autumn. I think it must be a newer brand since I didn't see it in many stores until recently, but I've been really pleasantly surprised by their products. They're a really inexpensive brand, so I didn't expect much from them, but I really like a lot of their products—especially the eye shadows! They come in really nice palettes that are labelled so you know what to apply to your eyelid, crease, and browbone and the colour sets are really good. My favourite palette is called "Walking on Eggshells" and is a very neutral palette with a shimmery beige colour that goes on the eyelid. Their shadows are really pigmented and they last a long time without creasing (which is a big deal for me, since eye shadow doesn't tend to last very long on my lids!) I also have palettes in "Sweet as Candy" and "Knock on Wood" and will probably be adding more to my collection as well!

colour sets from left to right: Sweet as Candy, Walking on Eggshells, and Knock on Wood

Next, I have been wanting to try out a new foundation for a while. I had always used the same one from Covergirl, but in the winter when my skin gets paler, I found that my normal shade was too dark and the next shade lighter made me look too pasty. So I decided to try something totally new and bought L'Oréal True Match Lumi foundation. The first time I used it, I was so amazed at how great my skin looked that I found myself just staring at it in the mirror throughout the day haha! Something really cool about this foundation is that it comes in "undertones" (warm, neutral, and cool) so you can really get a shade that's perfect for you. I use the Neutral 1-2 shade. The only critique I have is that it is not oil free, so for oily-skinned people, it could make their skin look even more oily. But, I tend to have oily skin and I've found that if I use a matte powder and then reapply once or twice later in the day, it's not a problem!

Another product I hadn't branched out with in years was mascara, so I recently decided to try out something different. I have heard so many great things about Maybelline The Falsies mascara, so when I heard about Maybelline The Falsies Big Eyes, I decided to try it. I absolutely LOVE this mascara! It makes your lashes look so full and long, doesn't clump, and really does make your eyes look big! My favourite part is that it comes with separate applicators for your top lashes and your bottom lashes, so I don't need to worry about getting too much product on my bottom lashes and make them smudge. I would really really recommend this to anyone looking to try out a new mascara!

As I mentioned in my 25 Things About Me post, I am a huge fan of red lipstick. The most recent red lipsticks I have tried out have been the Rimmel Kate Moss collection. There are a ton of colours, not just reds, and they are all so gorgeous, but I especially love the red ones! I currently have shades 01 and 10. 01 has a darker tone and seems to have warmer undertones and 10 seems to have cooler undertones. If you apply this lipstick, blot it, and then reapply, it lasts for so long. There are also some really pretty coral and pink colours that I will probably try out for Spring!

In both photos, shade 01 is on the left and 10 is on the right

Next up is another product from Rimmel—their 60 Second nail polishes. I've tried a bunch of other nail polishes that claim to dry instantly, but have smudged even after an hour of drying. But this nail polish actually does dry pretty much instantly. After I apply a second coat, I let it dry for about 5 minutes and then can do literally whatever I want and don't need to worry about it smudging. I am someone that gets so impatient waiting for my nails to dry so this nail polish is so perfect for me! The nail polish lasts a while without chipping, and to make it even better, it's so cheap! Less than $3 for a bottle. The only problem is that I haven't been able to find it anywhere other than the Walmart near my school in North Carolina. I wanted to buy some for my sister while I was home in Massachusetts at Christmastime, but couldn't find it in any of the stores near my house. I'm going to have to research some more about where to buy it at home, but I think to be safe, I'll probably stock up on all the colours before I graduate this May! :)

colours from left to right: Red Steady Go, Caramel Cupcake, and Mintilicious

And last, but definitely not least are the Revlon Just Bitten Balm Stain (which I believe are now called ColorBurst Balm Stain). I actually tried this product for the first time in the summer of 2012, but I love them so much and use them almost every day, that I had to include them in this post! I have the colours Smitten, Sweetheart, and Romantic. The Smitten (magenta) and Sweetheart (bright pink) are super pigmented so I only use a light amount of those, but the Romantic (red) isn't quite as pigmented so I find that I need to apply quite a lot to get the colour dark enough for my liking. These are a balm stain, so once you apply it, you don't need to worry about it creasing in your lips at all or making them look dry, and it lasts super long. More recently, Revlon released more of these balm stains in matte and lacquer colours, so I'm definitely going to be getting more for the spring!

Colours from top to bottom: Smitten, Sweetheart, and Romantic

I hope you've enjoyed reading about some of the products that I love at the moment! Once I start buying new products for spring and summer, I will likely be posting again with some of my warm weather favourites! If you have any products that you absolutely love, please tell me about it in a comment. I love to hear recommendations on products to try :)


xo Christie