If I had to donate my entire makeup collection, these are the two things I would keep!

Long time no see gals and guys! I need not get into how "the hustle and bustle of everyday life kept me away" or "I was a bit overwhelmed with school, work and planning a wedding"..but I will focus on the fact that I have missed my keyboard and the freedom of expression that comes along with being a blogger =D

I have been wanting to do a beauty post for a while now but I honestly haven't been purchasing many beauty items since I am saving for my wedding (hey, every penny counts!) and aside from a great mascara I switched to and an occasional new lip product, nothing really blog worthy has fallen into my hands. That all changed around the Holidays!

It is safe to say, if you read the title of this post, then you know to what high regard I hold these next two products I am about to show you. These are the kinds of finds that make me shout from the rooftops! (ok maybe we shouldn't take it that far lol) In the past month, I have used these each and every day and they are essentially all I would ever need if they were to never run out :)

Drumroll::::::::::

1. The Guy Bourdin for NARS Holiday Collection Cheek Palette

 

• Included are a bronzer in Laguna, highlighter in Devotee, Blushes in Orgasm, Deep Throat, Mistinguette, and Goulue. 
• The Bronzer is a little light for medium complexions like myself, BUT I make it work by layering and it is pretty awesome. 
• There is a shade of peachy pink for everyone--my favorites happen to be Goulue which is the deep pink and Deep Throat which is described as a "flirty sheer peach"
• For old time NARS "devotee's", they also included their best seller, Orgasm which I have in regular compact form as well. 
• After doing the math..you know what, let's just break it down here: 
• A Full size blush contains 0.16 oz. or 4.8 g's of product and run around $29.00. 
• Each of the blushes in this palette contain 0.14 oz or 4 grams of product and with a total palette cost of $65.00, that means that we are pretty much getting 6 near full size products for only $10.83 each !!!!!!!! After doing the math, I was able to justify the price, heck $65 is a lot to spend in one place on cosmetics. 
• The convenience of being able to grab this and go is awesome too....minus the fact that it has the typical NARS packaging and it gets dirty very easily..NARS, switch  it up please :) 

2. The Lorac Pro Palette

• 8 Matte Shades, 8 Shimmer Shades...does anything else really need to be explained? haha
• There are colors that will give you that sexy smokey eye and also colors that you can wear for a fresh face look---I love them all! 
• "Taupe" is the perfect crease blending color for me and "Cream" is what I have been using as my browbone highlight with "Nude" as a nice inner corner shimmer highlight. 
• The only drawback I see is that "White" can come off a little chalky but honestly I have yet to come across a true white shadow that isn't chalky. 
• This goes for around $42 and comes with a mini eye primer as well--excellent deal as I, dare I say it....prefer this over my NAKED 1 palette which was my HG for a while! 

My final thoughts on these babies are this: I am sorry that the cheek palette is a holiday item as I don't think you can get it online anymore--I have definitely seen some still in Sephora stores though so if you're interested, be sure to go check it out. I truly could give away my entire makeup collection (which is mighty hefty these days) and only use these two palettes and a lip product and mascara for a complete look. You can use the black shadow as an eyeliner!

Lorac Pro Palette  Guy Bourdin for NARS Cheek palette Reviews

Happy New Year Friends, wishing you health, prosperity, happiness and love :)

Grab these babies now or be sorry later,

xox

Z-Palette Review and GIVEAWAY (CLOSED)

I purchased my very first Z-Palette at IMATS NYC two years ago. Since then, it has become a staple in my "packing makeup for travel" routine. There is something about the convenience and durability of it that makes my life that much easier.

What I love about the Z-Palette:

• Comes in various sizes including newer revamped ones to include a palette for pro's (a larger size than the original large) and even one that will house our dome shaped mineral makeup products without crushing their little tops :) 
• Affordability is key--you want to get something that you are going to get a ton of use out of and that ultimately will pay for itself right? These price range from $14-25 and trust me when I say, they have paid for themselves in the amount of product I was able to travel with and NOT have break...which brings me to my next point.
• This palette is hard and durable promising to not only allow you to see through the lid for "quick look access" but also to protect your precious makeup from shattering during travel. It's like the shock proof case you put on your phone to make sure that should it get a little banged up, it won't affect the phone as much ;) The magnetic backing and easy label stickers make set up quick and easy!
• Last but not least would be the main thing that I love about this, the ability to get rid of clunky large bulky packaging in some of the palettes (pictured below is my UD NYC palette) that you would love to travel with but just can't justify lugging it around. I was able to depot all of my shadows from this palette below and throw the packaging away and keep the good stuff! Now I am able to take the shadows that I love with me everywhere and as you can see a peek of, I have tons more room to fit another 20+shadows in there! 

To see more about how to depot and to check out all of the other Z-Palettes and shop, click here depot, shop .

GIVEAWAY INFO

• To enter to win a small travel leopard Z-Palette (fits 9 MAC eye shadows), you must be a subscriber to my blog. Click "join this site" on the right :)
• For an extra entry, tweet me that you would like to enter @AlyseaP 
• Comment below telling me what your current cosmetic travel packing routine consists of. I always want to learn new ways to pack my makeup and tips and tricks for EASY travel. You could also tell me one staple palette you travel with if you don't have a travel routine down just yet :) 
• This is open to everyone, INTERNATIONAL AND U.S.A.
• This giveaway will remain open from today, 5/11 thru Sunday 5/26 (two weeks) Good Luck!

xox

Shop and Tell: ULTA, Bath and Body Works, Target

Did some shopping this past week and thought I would share some of the things with you!

Target/ULTA:

Pictured above:

• Freeman Cucumber Peel-Off Mask
• Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Under-eye Circle Concealer in Medium (this was a repurchase!)
• Revlon Kissable Just Bitten Lip Stain in Lovesick
• Sample Macadamia Deep Repair Hair Masque (wanted to try it before dropping $30 on the full size! haha)
• 3 Covergirl Outlast All Day Lip Color in Nude, Ever Red-dy, Always Rosy

Swatches from above mentioned lip colors: 

1.  Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain in Lovesick
2. Covergirl Outlast Lip Color in Always Rosy
3. Covergirl Outlast Lip Color in Ever Red-dy
4. Covergirl Outlast Lip Color in Nude 

 *Product review on these coming soon, I am still trying them out ;)

Bath and Body Works:

Pictured Above:

• Slatkin & Co. Candle in Pineapple Orchid
• Slatkin & Co. Candle in Pomegranate Lemonade
• Decorative Candle Display Jar

I wanted some new summery scents since I burn candles year round :) These colors were also so pretty! In addition to the above mentioned things, I also purchased two wallflower refills in Gingham Apple and Market Peach! :)

My candle just made me want to make a pomegranate lemonade...::sigh::,

xox

Overdue IMATS/Drugstore/Sephora Shop and Tell!

In April, I had the pleasure of attending IMATS NYC (International Makeup Artist Trade Show), I am so lucky to be able to just hop on the train or in my car and go because it is so close! I must say, if any of you attended the one we held here in the city last year then you will probably agree with me when I say that this year was SO much more organized and better overall! There was so much more space which meant we got to have more vendors! We even got to walk around without bumping into others ;) haha I can definitely say that I had such an amazing time there! I even met Kandee Johnson, one of my very favorite women.  Inglot and NYX had the longest lines from what I could tell, but it was all worth it :) Check out what I picked up below as well as from Sephora and Target :)

Kandee and I :)

INGLOT & NYX Concealers in a jar purchased from IMATS, Sonia Kashuk Concealer quad purchased from Target.

INGLOT Freedom System 10 Shadow Palette purchased from IMATS, LOVE these shadows, so beautiful and pigmented!

NYX Lip Products and JulieG Nailpolish purchased from IMATS

Tarte Mini Sized Eye Primer and Face Primers purchased from Sephora, Model in a Bottle Setting Spray Purchased from IMATS.

Mini Tarte Bronzer in Park Ave Princess and Blush in Amused purchased from Sephora.

Also stopped by the Give Good Face booth and picked up one of these awesome T's! I like to wear this when I am doing makeup on someone haha too funny!

Along with this, the only other thing that I didn't photograph because I am in the process of cleaning them would be my Royal Langnickel makeup brushes, picked up 4 single face and eye brushes.

I will probably review some of these purchases further with a little more time, want to make sure I test them out well!

It's Not A Magic Wand,

xox

OOTD: Graduation Party

It has been almost two months since I sat down at my computer and edited photos and wrote a blog! Needless to say, life gets busy sometimes, but I will always post in any downtime I get :)

This particular post is just to show you what I wore to a friends Graduation party.  I wanted something airy and flowy but still sophisticated (even if it was a backyard party!) My rule is to ALWAYS look your best at functions like these because there is never a second time for a first impression ;)

Here's the breakdown of what I wore:

Dress: 

Teal Hi-Low Hemline Dress from Forever 21's Love 21 Line $27.80 (I think!)

Sorry for the Wrinkles, I took these photos after I had worn it ;) The bottom was so flowy and girly, I loved it!

Shoes: 

Lucky Brand Shoes (I forget the style name and it doesn't say it on the shoe!) I did, however, get these from Macy*s a year ago if that helps. These are the perfect shoes in every way! They are soft, have unbelievable padding on the sole so you are almost walking on air, and they are adjustable with a cute buckle :) The semi wedge heel also adds added comfort :)

Accessories: 

You probably already know that I LOVE bow rings! I purchased this one at a vendor at IMATS NYC this year. It reminded me of Hello Kitty ;) I wore this because I loved the contrast of the hot pink on the teal dress!

Assorted Gold Bangles purchased from Forever 21 for only $4.80!

Nails: Splash of Grenadine by Essie
Lipgloss: NYX Xtreme Lip Cream in Candy Land (Love these!)
Eyes: Simple bronze look using my Naked Palette
Earrings (not visible here) Diamond cluster studs--a staple for me, I wear these ALL the time!

There you have it, my OOTD for a Grad Party :) Hope you enjoyed it! If you have any questions, as always, leave them below or send me a message!

My next post will hopefully be edited soon, it is a collective Makeup Haul :)

Congrats to all the Grads out there,

xox

February Favorites-Beauty/Fashion

I haven't done a monthly favorites in a while.  This isn't to say that I haven't had products that I have enjoyed using during the months before this post, just that by doing them every month, I feel like they get boring for me to write about, and I NEVER want to feel bored writing a blog post, so I skipped a few months ;) Needless to say, I am so glad I did because I am so excited to write about these favorites in the month of February!

Let's get right to it:

1. Milani Liquif'Eye Eyeliner in the color 05 Brown

 I love this eyeliner for many reasons.  One, it is a nice dark chocolate brown, a perfect alternative to black, which honestly is a pretty harsh color for everyday use in my opinion.  My favorite brown eyeliner before this was Whiskey by UD, the one that came in the first round of the Naked Palette 1.  When I ran out of that one, I was determined to find another one that came close to the staying power and amazing color, and this is def it! This is definitely one of those eyeliners that when you place it, if you want to smudge it, do it QUICK because it will stay put like no other after about 10 seconds. 

2. Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10

This is a miracle product for me.  This is a gel that contains 10% benzoyl peroxide which is a powerful agent in fighting off acne.  Now, I know you're wondering--do you have acne? No, I was thankfully blessed with pretty normal skin.  Normal meaning, I do get a breakout here and there on occasion from stress, a non-balanced diet etc, but nothing that is overwhelming.  I have found that the times that I do breakout, it is somewhere on my cheek. Odd enough, after significant research, I read that breakouts on your cheeks are directly attributed to stress! Between working with 3+ children daily, making time to see my boyfriend and his hectic work schedule and trying to get back into school, I feel like I am definitely a "breeding ground" for stress haha  This is definitely a life saver though. Right at the sign of any kind of breakout, you just take a pea size amount (or even less) and dab it on the cleaned area.  I put this on after I wash my face before bed and wake up with almost nothing! It completely dries out the affected area and in two days, what could have been a disaster site, is not a nothing :)

3. Revlon Lipbutters-Creme Brulee and Red Velvet

 These lip butters are the only ones I have aside from the Cotton Candy one I showed in a previous post.  I figured I had a pink so I needed to try a nude and a red now.  I love deeper reds because I feel like they compliment my skin tone much better sometimes. I do have many orange based brighter reds too and love them just as much, but I am glad I went for a deeper red on this one.  Creme Brulee is my FAVORITE lip product of this entire month hands down.  For me, is is the absolute prefect nude color that is so easy to just slap on as I head out the door.  It isn't too orange on me and doesn't make me look "lifeless" either.  The consistency of the lip butters is like a sheer moisturizing lipstick.  Not amazingly moisturizing, but it does the job lol I love them and have been wearing one of the 3 I have almost everyday this month!

4. Aldo Laughead Boots

I searched for these boots for MONTHS! I went on every Aldo website and store only to find them out of stock.  I spotted these one day online and told myself I would come back and order them at a later date only to find that that wasn't possible :( I fell head over heels in love with these boots because of their striking similarity to the Chanel boots I also fell in love with.  Only missing the contrasting brown on the toe area as well, these were head on and were only around 15% of the price! I knew I had to have them.  I finally gave up my search sadly enough until one day I found ONE boot lying around a random Aldo store.  I asked if they could order them for me and they arrived at my house within a week! I was so happy that although what was reflected on the website told me that they were sold out in all sizes (even on Nordstrom website!) that there obviously was more stock in the warehouse then they were willing to let onto ;) These pair perfectly over leggings and skinny jeans :) I wore them literally ALL the time the past two months :)

5. Wet & Wild Bronzer-Goddess

Before you guys laugh at my broken bronzer, just know that when this broke I nearly cried! haha ok maybe not but still, such a sad event that day lol This bronzer was something I bought on a whim one day at Ulta.  It was under $4 and it has turned into one of my favorite bronzers. It doesn't have any noticeable shimmer that is ridiculously disco ball looking and is the perfect color to warm up my face even on my "no makeup days" which are happening more often lately.  Use a very light hand when using this, a little definitely goes a very long way!

6. Laura Mercier Metalic Creme Eye Colour-Rose Gold

haha I don't even know if it is still available at Laura Mercier, although I don't see why it wouldn't be because it is so fabulous! I bought this initially because I wasn't really into wearing a lot of makeup, still aren't.  I recently started using it a lot because I fell back in love with it. It is a rose gold metallic color that is just stunning. I put this all over my eyelid and blend some UD buck in the crease and I am good to go for an amazing natural beauty look in minutes! I am definitely going to try and get more of these babies ;)

What are your favorites from February?

xox

Product Review/Swatches: Viva Glam Nicki

 

When I first heard about this Viva Glam Campaign I was so excited. Even if you are not a fan of Nicki Minaj's music, you probably know that she is definitely an out there person when it comes to her sense of style. I just knew that the color that would represent her Viva Glam lipstick would be something bright and sassy, and boy was I right!

This lipstick is a mix between corals, bubblegum pinks and sort of a flamingo color, long story short, it is perfect and like nothing else I have yet.  It is a satin finish which I like as well because I find that sometimes the Matte lipsticks are too drying without a gloss etc., with this one, you are pretty good to go with only this.

It has that signature "vanilla" scent as do all MAC lipsticks and most lip products for that matter.  This color called "Viva Glam Nicki" is also VERY pigmented, which again I love.  As soon as this lipstick was finally in my possession I swatched it on my hand and couldn't believe how opaque it was with just one stroke! I then applied it to my lips and it appeared the same as well, a true winner of sorts :)

The Viva Glam Campaign: 

Every cent from the sales of this Lipstick and its partnered Ricky Martin Lip Conditioner go toward Men, Women and Children who have been affected by HIV/AIDS.  For more info visit: MACAIDSFUND.ORG

My Final Thoughts: 

I really love this lipstick. Truth: I am a sucker for buying things that benefit organizations that help others in need, BUT, honest to goodness, I think this color would have for sure intrigued me to purchase it anyway because it really is unlike anything else I have! I think this is a total Spring color and I am so excited to start wearing it soon.  I also love the Ricky Martin Lip Conditioner, I just have way to many of those on "standby" at the moment waiting to be used up so I didn't want to aimlessly just start buying things that I didn't "need" per-say haha I do recommend you check that one out as well though :)

If you don't necessarily like this color or don't think it would work well on you etc., these make great gifts! If you know someone who is pretty makeup/beauty savvy, I am almost sure they would love to add this to their collection, even just as a collectors item.  With every single cent of this purchase going toward providing a better tomorrow for those affected by HIV/AIDS, I don't see how you can really say no!

Wishing you all  a Viva GLAM day,

xox

What I Wore: Grad Party!

Last weekend I celebrated with my boyfriend a very big accomplishment of his.  It was a private party that we hosted at a restaurant/bar and the vibe was very chic.  Being that it was a bit more of a casual setting, I opted to wear jeans, which I almost never do to a party! lol I did, however, wear heels and a dressy top to keep the sophisticated look going. I threw this outfit together last minute as I actually had a dress that I was going to wear, but all in all I think it turned out pretty good!

*My hair looks SO voluminous around the crown area, this is just a shadow lol I looked at the pic afterward and I was like hymmm...where did all that come from haha

Here is what I wore:

Top:

This top is an absolutely gorgeous silk like polyester top from Express.  I actually spotted this on a trip to Express as I was about to walk out, and I had to have it! I love the horizontal lines (Stripes are another big trend for this Spring!) and the bold color contrast of the Hot Pink and Bone colors.  This was what I used as my statement piece of the night, and it was for sure a showstopper :)

**Under this I wore a plain white tank from Target, This isn't cropped per-say but I always like to layer something under blouses like this.

Bottom: 

 I wore these Skinny Ankle Jeans from Forever21.  This was a trip away from home for me and I neglected to pack any jeans (I thought I was going to be wearing a dress for sure! haha) So I ran over to Forever21 and grabbed these.  I was pleasantly surprised with how well they fit and how nice they looked on! At under $11 this was a STEAL!

Jewelry: 

The Earrings are just some Silver hoops with rhinestones in them that I have had forever! They are from Express probably in the year 2007.  The necklace is very special to me. On our last trip to Puerto Rico, my boyfriend bought this for me because I am obsessed with Alhambra style jewelry. The inside of each "clover" has a mother of pearl look making this necklace compliment nearly any outfit!

Shoes

 

These shoes are from Nine West and are called Rocha. I have been really into Nine West shoes lately, I feel like they are the perfect mix of elegance and trend.  Some other shoe stores are a bit too trendy for me lately. The Nude color from these shoes not only matched my shirt wonderfully, but made sure as to not steal any spotlight from the main piece, the shirt! :)

Makeup: 

 

Pictured above are all the products (minus the brushes and moisturizer/toner) that I used to get ready that evening. 

Naked Palette (the original one), MAC Blush in Melba, MAC MSF Natural in Medium Plus, ELF Black Gel Liner, Wet & Wild Bronzer in Goddess, MAC Painterly Paint Pot, Victoria's Secret Lipstick in  Heated, Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Under Eye Concealer in Medium, NYX Lip Liner in Fushia, NYX Lipgloss in Beige and finally L'Oreal Voluminous Millions of Lashes Mascara!

For my hair I just curled it using my Hot Tools 1.5 inch barrel curling iron :) 

If you have any more questions, leave them below. 

Nude Shoes and Hot Pink Stripes, 

xox

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