Monday, August 31, 2020

Determine if you are wanting summer to stay or for fall to start with This or That featuring the Zoya Splash and Luscious Collections

 Happy Monday, dear readers! The latest fall collection by Zoya, Luscious, dropped at my house last week, and I'm so torn if I am still Team Summer (Splash Collection) or Team Fall (Luscious Collection). The weather has been HOT HOT HOT around here, over 110°F for 50 days (!!!!) this summer, but since we've dropped below 100°, I'm actually in summer heaven right now. That being said, I wouldn't mind if the weather decided to cool down a little more and continued on the trajectory for the next several months. Because of this dilemma, I decided to do something a little different for today's blog post: I'm posting a This or That selection from both the Splash and Luscious collections to help you decide which one is a better fit for you right now! Grab a scrap piece of paper and a pen to take some notes, and let's figure out if you are craving summer shades or fall shades the most right now!

There are no right or wrong answers, and I would love it if you would play along and chime in on the comments below where you fall between the collections! ready? Let's do this!


This: Sharon (Luscious/Fall)
That: Kristie (Splash/Summer)

Cream nail polishes are a stable in my collection, especially since I like to use them in nail art. While definitely not an exact match, Sharon and Kristie give you your mulberry and raspberry shade options and a great jumping off point for this project.

This: Soleil (Luscious/Fall)
That: Eclipse (Splash/Summer)

It almost seems wrong to pit these two against each other as one offers full coverage on the nails while the other is a topper, but both metallics have vastly different feels and another fun comparison in the end.

This: Patrice (Luscious/Fall)
That: Leilani (Splash/Summer)

Both these shades contain gorgeous golden micro-shimmers, and it is the base hue that will really reflect if you are Team Luscious or Team Splash! A little more muted pink or a brighter pink: which do you prefer?

This: Mel (Luscious/Fall)
That: Harbor (Splash/Summer)

The Luscious Collection may have a blue shade as part of the collection, but this rich olive screams fall just as much as this blue turquoise is quintessential summer. As for me, it's harder choosing between these two shades than I thought it would be!

This: Corrina (Splash/Summer)
That: Andrea (Luscious/Fall)

Corrina and Andrea may have different finishes, but both are perfect for their respective season. While one has the bright lightness I expect for summer months, the other swings into deeper moody territory that I just cannot resist!

This: Greta (Splash/Summer)
That: Lisa (Luscious/Fall)

This competition (where everyone wins!) would not be complete without a battle of the reds! Do you prefer a brighter, tomato red, or do you gravitate towards a deeper garnet red?


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Fun Fact: Zoya originally released a different red shade, also named Lisa, in 2010 as part of the Fire and Ice Winter Collection! The original was a pink-undertoned red shade and loaded up with stunning glass flecks. Ten years later and Lisa has really grown up into a more mature shade (although I would still wear the original if I could locate my long-missing bottle).
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Both my boys wanted to take part in the survey, and both were in favor of the Splash/Summer Collection the most. My husband and I also completed it as well, and we're Team Luscious/Fall. Which collection did you ultimately decide was the better fit for you? I'd love for you to leave a comment below telling me which on you prefer the most, and if any of the shades in particular are calling your name! Also, please let me know what you think about this kind of post. While I don't anticipate doing these all the time, I think they are fun for something a little different on occasion.


Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO!





Sunday, August 30, 2020

Highlights from the Beauty Spotlight Team


Greetings, dear readers! I hope you have been enjoying your weekend thus far! We had a monsoon come through last night, and while we definitely appreciate the rain and the drop in temperatures, we could have done without the crazy winds! I've got to spend some time replacing and putting up screens in addition to the usual yard cleanup to look forward. I tend to do most of my blog writing on Sundays, so this week may only end up with two posts depending on how long this takes me and if I can find some extra time during the week. Until then, I hope you enjoy this selection of blog posts from the Beauty Spotlight Team!



Shifting multichrome polishes and a flakie topper! Kristi from BeginNails reviewed the new Red Eyed Lacquer Bubbilicious Quad that was released this last week. Which is your favorite?




After 7 months of use, Lola’s Secret Beauty Blog revisited Go-To Face Hero Face Oil, and has determined that this ultra-luxe, and infinitely affordable, skin treat is a must-have!



Never Say Die Beauty just received the Derma E “Clean Is Beautiful” duo of cleansers, and she’s giving away one of them. Check out her giveaway and enter!



Prime Beauty loves the new BH Cosmetics Paradise Collection for complexion perfection! There are 3 versions of primers AND setting sprays: hydrating, mattifying and illuminating. I love the hydrating one for my older, dry skin!   



You never not need sunscreen in Marcia of Beauty Info Zone‘s opinion. Her new found love is CIREM Skinsurance and she thinks you’ll want this yourself.



Jen from Laugh, Love, Contour is back to posting this week after taking a brief hiatus to help her health recover. Because everything was cancelled due to the pandemic, Jen opted to have a self-proclaimed Festival Week utilizing the new Ludicrous Lights highlighters by Milani Cosmetics! The last post from the week includes link to the previous looks during the week it you want to check them out and celebrate festival your own way this year too!



Do you like colorful nail polishes? The Lights Lacquer Sweet as Summer Collection was made up of six polishes that followed the colors of the rainbow. There are swatches and a review over on Southeast by Midwest.



Erika at Notes from My Dressing Table has done a Once and Future Review five year follow up on the Foreo Luna for Normal Skin Sonic Skin Care Device. If you’re interested to find out if she is still into it, all of these years later, come check it out!



Stacie, The Makeup Obsessed Mom, has some simple makeup tips for women over 40 over on her blog for you.



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Friday, August 28, 2020

Festival Week with Milani Cosmetics Ludicrous Lights: Lollapa-Blue-Za

 Greetings, dear readers, and happy Friday! Today is my last post celebrating my own self-proclaimed Festival Week! I had picked up the Milani Cosmetics Ludicrous Lights duo chrome highlighters at my local Walgreens prior to the shutdowns caused by the pandemic, and I decided I really wanted to share them this week. You can check out my post featuring Peach-Ella here and Pink-Aroo here.


Here is a quick look of all three shades together. I opted to save Lollapa-Blue-Za for the end of the week and go with something a little crazier for today.


Lollapa-Blue-Za is described as a blue base with green reflects. It is more of a blue-grey base and not as bright as I had in mind as I thought it would be, but I still really enjoyed playing with it!



I had a lot of fun creating this look and using this highlighter, although it pulls a steely grey on me more so than a blue. Thankfully the green reflects add a touch of brightness that I find to be sorely missing with this highlighter, at least against my skintone.


The formula is somewhere between that of Peach-Ella and Pink-Aroo: it gets a little flaky, but nowhere near as much as I experienced with Peach-Ella.

Other products used:








This is such a fun way to end up my self-proclaimed Festival Week! I hope you have enjoyed the looks I have shared during the week!

As for me, I am off to relax and recover from an unpleasant medical testing procedure earlier today. I hope you enjoy your weekend, and look forward to posting more next week!

XO!









Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Festival Week with Milani Cosmetics Ludicrous Lights: Pink-Aroo

 


Greetings, dear readers! I am celebrating festival week this week since everything was cancelled earlier this year. I had purchased the Milani Cosmetics Ludicrous Lights highlighters prior to the shut down, so they were the inspiration for this week. I already shared Peach-Ella on my post on Monday, and you can check it out here!


Here is a quick look at all three highlighter shades.


Naturally I had to go with Pink-Aroo for today's post since it is Wednesday! It is still Wednesday, right? This whole virtual schooling is really throwing me off!

Here is my pink look!




Pink-Aroo starts off with a pink base and has added blue reflects. While Peach-Ella from my previous post had some flaking issues with the formula, I did not have this problem with Pink-Aroo. It applied quite nicely, and the flashes of blue are fun against the pink.


I think I had only one other pink highlighter in my collection before purchasing Pink-Aroo. I'm really digging this one a lot, so I am really glad I opted to pick up all three shades!


Other Products Used:



Are you wearing pink makeup today? Would you wear the Milani Cosmetics Pink-Aroo highlighter? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO


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Monday, August 24, 2020

Festival Week with Milani Ludicrous Lights Collection: Peach-Ella

 Greetings, dear readers! It feels like it has been quite some time since I posted, but my body really needed the time to heal. If you've been following me on Instagram, I had shared that I was infected with COVID-19 in March, and ever since, my body has been in a tailspin as multiple organs and systems continued to go haywire long after the virus left my system. I initially kept pushing to work on my blog in spite of the constant fatigue and symptoms that changed each day, but I made the difficult decision to put it all aside and focus on my health for a little while. At this time I still have more testing ahead of me, but my energy level has skyrocketed as symptoms have either disappeared on their own or medications have brought me into healthier levels again. I have sustained damage to my heart, but only time will tell if this is permanent or if I'll make a complete recovery. Until then, I'm taking care of myself and living my life as best as I can. That includes getting back to my blog! Here goes!



Prior to the pandemic declaration and everything shutting down, I had picked up the Milani Cosmetics Ludicrous Lights Duo Chrome highlighters from my local Walgreens. I had planned for a week of festival looks using these highlighters, but as we already know, all of our plans from 2020 were thrown out the window. Spring may have come and gone and summer is two thirds of the way over, but I need something fun to enjoy during the hot days here in Arizona. Rather than letting the idea go to waste, I'm just shifting my Festival Week to this week!


This is what each of the duo chrome highlighters look like swatched on my arm. 


Today's blog post features the look I created using Peach-Ella. I wanted to start this week off with a simple, more "work friendly" look to show that you can turn these into something wearable for day to day looks in the office if needed. This is the final look:


Peach-Ella is a pretty shade that is lovely for every day looks, but I did find it had some larger flakes that I'm personally not crazy about for my every day type of look. That being said, I could still apply it was a lighter hand to get the highlight effect that I wanted without adding too much extra texture to my skin.


The pink reflects in this peach highlighter is quite lovely! The peach blends in a bit with my base makeup, but you can really appreciate the flashes of pink when light hits my face at the right angles!



I really enjoy the shade of this highlighter, although I'm not crazy about the larger flakes in it. Going in with a lighter hand keeps it wearable for me and I do enjoy the flashes of pink. I would have preferred if Milani changed the formula to avoid the flaking in general as I don't find the added texture to be particularly flattering, even if you are going for a wilder look for a festival. Obviously this is my personal opinion, so if you get Peach-Ella to work for you with the added texture, rock on!


Other products used:

GlōGirl Cosmetics: Goddess Eye Shadow Palette

Smashbox Cosmetics: The Cali Contour Palette

Makeup Obsession: Isn't It Peachy Blush Palette

Finding Ferdinand: custom lipstick shade

Have you tried Peach-Ella or any of the other Milani Cosmetics Ludicrous Lights highlighters? If so, which is your favorite? Would you wear Peach-Ella in your daily life and not just during festival season? I'd love to hear from you!


Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!

XO!


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