Weekly Wants #1

Well hi! 

Tonight I'm coming at you with this weeks most wanted. Over the past week there's been a few products that I've been seriously lusting after. The packaging, the hype, everything. I need these beauties!

I've had the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette and Better Than Sex Mascara in my Sephora cart for far too long now. All of the swatches and reviews of the palette are truly killing me. And the Better Than Sex mascara? I have samples that I'm almost out of and this mascara is something that I cannot live without. If you haven't tried it, you should. Like, yesterday. 

I'm currently eyeing three blushes. Two are from the new Hourglass Ambient Lighting blush collection, and the other is from MAC's A Fantasy of Flowers collection. All three are beautiful and perfect for the upcoming Spring/ Summer season. I haven't been able to get my hands on the Ambient Lighting powders just yet, as I've been a little hesitant on spending the money. I'm seriously considering these blushes though. 

Lastly, I'm really wanting to pick up a few of NYX's new butter glosses. I just recently picked up two shades and I love them! I really want to get a few of the darker and brighter shades, like the ones pictured. 

Well, that's all for this week's wants! I hope you enjoyed it! I'm hoping to start back at blogging more often, so these should become more regular and you all will be seeing much more of me! Until next time!

Living in Italy: The Pros and Cons Pt. 1

left to right: Husband & I in Munich, Germany, Cliff Diving location in Italy, Seafood pizza, Venice, Italy

The longer I live in Italy, the more I feel equipped to tell you all the nitty gritty of living here. Mind you, I've only been here for roughly ten months, but I feel like I know enough to give you a few pros and cons. So for those of you ladies who's husbands are trying to get stationed in Italy, if you've already got your orders, or if you're just curious about life here, keep reading! 

Cons:

1. Italy is not at all like what it is in the Lizzie McGuire movie. Bummer, I know.

2. Italians are not exactly the nicest people, but then again, I'm from the South. So my views on courtesy may be different than yours. Southern hospitality is unheard of here. 

3. Getting things done can be quite the pain in the rear. Italians REALLY like their leisure time, so most businesses are closed at random hours during the day (Reposo), and during August, almost all local businesses take a month long vacay. Lucky bastards. They aren't quick to move, either. So patience is key! 

4. While most people know a bit of English, the preferred language is, of course, Italian. This is expected, but the language barrier sucks nonetheless.

5. Getting used to Italian/European customs can be pretty hard. Or really, REALLY hard in cases like mine. 

6. You're not exactly wanted here. Think about it. If Italians were to open a military base in America, the entire country would more than likely go hay wire. 'MERICA! 

7. There's no such thing as mexican food or a good burger. Everything is Italian or made with Italian flair. 

8. No Alfredo sauce. None. Alfredo is an American Italian thing. NOT Italian. 

left to right: Garmisch, Germany, Vicenza, Italy, Jumping Germans at Medieval Times.

 Pros:

1. You live in ITALY! 

2. Gelato. The dessert of the gods. At least in my mind. 

3. You can travel pretty much anywhere in the EU on a long weekend. *Phone call home: "What are you doing this weekend?" "Oh, just going to Paris. No big deal."* 

4. Long weekends. Since we're in a different country, the soldiers (or airmen or sailors) get American AND Italian holidays off. Now, think of all the holidays America has. Now imagine how many holidays a country over 2000 years old has. It's definitely a plus. 

5. Going back to #1, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Think of the stories you'll get to tell! 

6. Experiencing a different culture. This one has been tough for me, but I'm slowly starting to appreciate it. It definitely gives you a new understanding of people. 

7. The scenery. Everything in Italy is ridiculously old. It amazes me that there are 1000 year old churches and buildings here. The oldest building in America is less than 250 years old. How crazy is that?! I'm able to marvel at things daily.

I know that this list wasn't exactly the longest, but I figured it's a good starting point. Maybe after my next ten months my list will have doubled, and hopefully only in the pros! If you have any specific questions, or actual PCS related questions, please feel free to comment! 

Save or Splurge #1

I've decided to start a new post series called Save or Splurge. In this series, I will bring you high end products that have drugstore "dupes." The whole point is to give you my opinion on whether or not I think you should save by buying the dupe, or splurge on the real deal. 

Today, I'm bringing you the Nars Orgasm blush and Laguna bronzer duo vs. the elf Contouring Blush & Bronzer duo. I'm sure you've all heard about this"dupe" but I wanted to bring you my opinion on it. Keep reading to find out just how much of a dupe this really is. 

You may notice that the packaging is very similar. Mind you, I have the miniature size of the Nars blush and bronzer, but you can still see the similarities. Elf is of course a cheaper plastic and it doesn't have the same rubber finish as Nars, but the shape and layout is still the same. The product even looks very similar in the pan. Until you swatch it, then you see the actual differences. 

The picture above are the swatches from the elf contouring blush and bronzer duo. The blush is a very pretty matte pinky coral, and the bronzer is a very dark, matte brown. The blush has a few pieces of chunky glitter in the pan, but the glitter is pretty unnoticeable on. The bronzer is a bit too dark for me, so I have to use a VERY light hand when applying. The colors are very pigmented, which is a plus. However, there is a good amount of fall out so tapping off the excess is necessary. Especially with the bronzer. 

Above is the Nars Orgasm & Laguna duo. Once swatched, the colors are much sheerer than they appear to be. Orgasm is a lovely pinky coral with a bit of shimmer, and Laguna is a GORGEOUS golden bronze. It's shimmery, but only slightly. I would say it has more of a "glow" than anything. Both colors are definitely wearable all year long. 

 From left to right: elf blush, Orgasm, elf bronzer, and Laguna. 

I think it's clear to see that, while packaging is pretty on point, the actual products themselves are not really all that similar. The elf contouring duo is more pigmented and both are matte, while the Nars duo is more shimmery and and has more of a glow. 

For me, personally, I would have to splurge for the Nars duo. The elf one is perfectly fine, and I have used a lot of it, but it's definitely different from the Nars version. What do you think? Do you prefer the pigmentation and matteness of elf's duo? Let me know! 

The Fall Tag

In case you didn't know, fall is my absolute favorite season of the year. Next is winter, then spring, and lastly summer. I just really love the cooler months! And Fall trends! So when I saw The Fall Tag I had to do it! 

 1. Favourite thing about Autumn? 

I would definitely have to say the clothes and the weather. I love the look of layering so much. I love walking out to crisp, cool, windy air! 

2. Favourite drink? 
I'm really not one for the "seasonal" drinks. I like cold drinks all year round, so the pumpkin spice craze doesn't really faze me. I would say that the only thing that I kind of like in the fall that I don't like any other time of the year is hot chocolate. 

3. Favourite scent/candle? 

For perfume, I am really loving Katy Perry's Killer Queen. It's floral and fruity, but dark and sensual all at the same time. It's definitely a warm, seductive smell that I plan on wearing all fall. My favorite candle scent is either Apple Crumble or Mahogany Teakwood from Bath and Body Works. Both of these candles are just to die for!

4. Best lipstick? 

Revlon's Cherries in the Snow! It's such a lovely blue-red shade. But if we're talking berry/purple hues, Mac's Rebel is number two.

5. Go to moisturiser? 

I really really really love my Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream. It's got a slight tint, which is perfect for evening out my skin before applying foundation. It's also very moisturizing and it smells heavenly!

6. Go to colours for the eyes? 

Taupes, browns, and purples. 

7. Favourite music or band/singer to listen to? 

Right now I am loving Katy Perry's new album Prism (are you catching on to my obsession yet?) but I'm slowly starting to listen to Christmas music. I like to start preparing for the Christmas season early, okay? Mistletoe by Colbie Caillat will be on repeat until Christmas.

8. Favourite outfit to wear (i.e. boots & a scarf combo)? 

I love to wear tights, boots, dresses, sweaters, and scarves. That's my go-to fall outfit. There's just so many possibilities with layering!

9. Autumn treat? 

Because I'm a fatty, I'm going to assume this is about food. In that case, bring on the pies!
 
10. Favourite place to be? 

I really like to be outside during the fall. Is that strange? Well, most of the time. I love the way it feels outside. Anything between 55-65 degrees is perfect to me! But I also love being bundled up on my couch, snuggling up to my husband, smelling the sweet aroma of whatever is cooking in my crockpot. 

I hope you enjoyed my answers! Now I tag YOU! I want to know all your favorite things about fall! 

Benefit Rockateur Blush Review

Since the moment it arrived I couldn't wait to get my hands on Benefit's newest boxed powder blush. The name sounded so badass, and the swatches of this rose-gold blush made me swoon. I had to have Rockateur in my hands ASAP! 

During my trip back to the States, on one of my many Sephora trips, I picked up my very own. Since then, it's been my "go-to." I love it so much! The color is a beautiful rose gold in the box, but once on the skin it's a warm, perfect for fall/winter deep rose. Because this shade is so deep, I don't tend to contour on the days when I wear it. I feel that this shade and bronzer together will deepen my skintone too much for the season. 

The packaging is the basic Benefit boxed powder box. But I'm going to come out and say that the packaging is pretty gross. I feel like they could have done so much more. Benefit is known for their gorgeous packaging, and I feel like this particular package is lacking the Benefit "wow" factor. 

 The product itself features a pretty nifty prism design with the work "Rock" embossed on the top. This part is definitely different from the other blushes we've come to love from this company. I do think the design is very pretty, but I think they could have done without and actually put more product in. 

Benefit has went down in product amount pretty significantly. I'm not sure if this is across the board or if it's just for Rockateur, but they've cut down three grams, making it five grams instead of the usual eight. And no, the price did not go down. Come on, Benefit! Not cool. 

Please excuse my poors and untamed eyebrows. It wasn't a full face kind of day. 

    

As you can tell from the swatches, Rockateur isn't exactly as rose cold as it appears to be in the box. It's actually a more warm rose color with orange undertones. It warms up the skin so beautifully! It will definitely be my go-to blush color for the next few months. 

All in all, do I love this blush? Absolutely. Is it my most coveted Benefit blush to date? No, but not a whole lot will ever beat my beloved Coralista. Could Benefit have done a better job with the packaging/overall design? Of course. Based on product alone, I give this a 5/5. But if we're going to do an overall judgement of this, just because the packaging is horrid (in my book) I give it 4/5. 

I hope you all found this review helpful! 

Which Benefit Boxed Powder is your favorite? 

Wet N' Wild Pop Art Craze

If you keep up with the beautysphere, I'm sure you've heard more than enough about Wet N' Wild. If you're in the States, you may or may not have heard of their Spring/Summer collection, Pop Art Craze. I have seen this collection, full of bright, bold colors, all over YouTube this summer. I was a bit skeptical to try these out, and didn't even give it much thought. The PX on our post rarely gets in new items as far as makeup goes, so I knew my chances of getting these in my hands were slim to none. 

Much to my surprise, when browsing the makeup isle at our PX, there were one of each of the six limited edition trios. I really wanted to get all of them, but the other three were a bit scary to me, so I left them on the shelf. The three that I picked up were (from left to right) Hard Being The It Girl, A Regular At The Factory, To Muse And Carouse. Seeing these names, I am pretty sure these are influenced by Andy Warhol. 

I absolutely love these! I am a very strict neutral girl when it comes to my shadows, but I really wanted to try to mix things up. I feel like the shades I picked up are perfect because they're half bold, half neutral. All of the shades are matte, which is LOVELY, besides the brown, which has the slightest bit of shimmer. Like all Wet N' Wild shadows, these are so buttery soft!

Hard Being The It Girl is a very lovely trio! The blue is absolutely beautiful, and is the perfect amount of pop against the other two shades. Personally, I would probably reverse the pink and yellow, because I think that pink is a smidgen too bright as a brow bone color. My only complaint is that the yellow is a tad powdery. This is a problem I've found in the lightest colors of all three trios. You jut have to make extra sure to tap away any excess to reduce the amount of fall out. 

A Regular At The Factory is definitely the brightest of the bunch. I'm a little weary to use it, but I think that these colors are absolutely stunning! The blue shades in each palette really stand out. Their pigmentation is incredible! I'm not sure if I will ever use all of these colors together, but I can definitely see using these as pops of color in my every day routine. 

 To Muse And Carouse is my FAVORITE! I absolutely love all of the colors in this trio. It's the perfect neutral eye with a bit of pizzazz. Again, the blue is beautiful! I have always been scared to wear colors, because I feel like with darker eyes you have to stick with neutrals, but apparently I was very wrong about that. The more I read the more I learn that us brown eyed girls can actually wear any color we want! I can see the brown crease color becoming a favorite of mine. It's so smooth and it has the perfect   satin/matte finish. 

All in all, I am very pleased with this collection from Wet N' Wild. I give these trios a 4 out of 5, only because some of the shades are a tad powdery. But for less than $3, you really can't beat these! I can't wait to get my hands on their newest military inspired collection this Fall! Since I will be in the States pretty soon, I plan on stocking up on all the new products. 

Have you tried Wet N' Wild products? What do you think? Let me know! 

L'Oréal Infallible Eye Shadow Review

Hi! 

Today, I wanted to share with you something that I've been absolutely loving for the past few months-- the L'Oréal Infallible eye shadows. These two eye shadows have been apart of my every day makeup routine for a while now, so I thought I would give them a review!

If you aren't familiar with the L'Oréal Infallible eye shadows, let me tell you that you're missing out! These pressed pigments really pack a punch with their pigmentation and wear. The formula is buttery soft, allowing application to be effortless. 

I really like their packaging, as well. Most pigments come in bottle type packaging and can be quite messy once you open them. The Infallible eye shadows come in a slim, square container, making them easy to stack. They are equipped with a presser, that allows you to press the pigment so there is no mess when trying to work with them. 

Now, I didn't photograph the presser, but it is basically a flat circle with a tiny handle that allows you to press the shadow down. This firms up the pigment so that it sticks together like any normal pan shadow. You can see that even though they're standing on their side, the pigment is compact and not falling out of its container.

 Left: Liquid Diamond Right: Iced Latte

Can you believe this pigmentation?! These swatches are just from swiping my finger over the tops of each shadow once, then swatching on my arm. I absolutely love these two shades! Iced Latte is a gorgeous gold-champagne that I use pretty much daily. Liquid Diamond is a beautiful silver purple. I'd say it's like a frosted lilac. It's stunning!

Overall, I'd give these shadows a 5 out of 5. Are they my absolute favorite? No, but they're pretty close! I will definitely be purchasing more when I'm back in the States. You can pick these up at Walmart or any drug store for around $7. If you're in Europe, expect to pay a good bit more. I was browsing my local Sephora a few days ago and these babies were a whopping €10! That's about $14!

Have you tried these? Let me know what you think!