Spring Blush: MAC Fleur Power Satin Blush

It's finally Spring time! I love Spring - I love the weather, the flowers, and the colors that we typically associate with the season. While I love Fall & Winter, I'm always really happy to break out the pastel nail polishes, bright blushes, and sandals when the weather starts to warm up! This is one of my favorite MAC blushes: Fleur Power. You can probably already tell by the name that it's perfect for Spring & Summer!

I think this is a really great choice for fair skin. It's also a great neutral if you're wearing a bright lip color as it doesn't really clash with much. It's a nice orange-y peach but it's natural enough to wear with other corals, pinks, peaches, and even red lip colors. As with most MAC blushes, a little bit goes a long way. This is a satin finish, so it's not exactly matte but it definitely doesn't have a shimmer. To me, this is the ultimate Spring blush color. Pink, orange, and peach all seem like essential Spring colors. 

As you can see in the swatch above, it's a really beautiful color but very subtle and natural. I love to pair this with Benefit High Beam when I want to brighten up my cheeks even more. However,  I usually wear this on its own without a bronzer or contour because I think it's so pretty that it deserves the spotlight. Because it's not super bright, it provides a tiny bit of a contour, too. With a little highlight on the tops of the cheek bones, this is my favorite spring time look. This would be suitable for natural makeup looks, too. 

What are your favorite MAC blushes? Which products do you love to bring out again when Spring returns? Post your favorite Spring products below!

First Impression: Neutrogena Healthy Lengths Mascara

I've seen this mascara many times in the store but I haven't heard much about Neutrogena mascaras so I've never picked it up. I was recently in a Target and decided to try this out. I got it in the shade "carbon black." It's a really skinny tube and it's packaged with the brush separate from the tube. So, when you open it for the first time, you open the mascara tube and insert the clean brush. This mascara claims to lengthen lashes 100% and includes vitamin E, olive oil, and antioxidants to increase lash health as well. It is anti-clumping, flaking, and smudging. 

The first thing I noticed about this mascara was the consistency. It's a lot thicker than the mascaras I typically use. I could tell it was a much thicker formula as soon as I inserted the brush. I noticed that this is beneficial when applying as it's a lot less messy, doesn't smudge onto my eyelids, and doesn't flake off onto my cheeks when I put it on. I was a little worried that would mean it'd be clumpy, but actually the opposite was true.

The first time I applied this, the first thing I noticed was how natural it looked. After applying one coat, it looked like I had naturally black, full lashes. It coated every lash but remained soft to the touch. I applied a few more coats to build up length and volume and was really happy with the finished product. This is definitely not a dramatic mascara - even after several coats it's very natural-looking. This would be a perfect "no makeup" mascara, a base coat, or a good everyday mascara if you're looking for something a little more subtle. 

This was just under $8 at Target and can be found in most drugstores and also at Ulta. It's a great mascara to keep in your makeup bag or to take when traveling because of its slim tube!

I've only been using this for about a week so I can't review it's lash lengthening properties, but I would repurchase just because I liked the product. I've actually been using this as a base mascara because it separates lashes and coats them so they're totally black. Then, I go in with just one coat of a different mascara to add a bit more length and thickness for a bolder look. I have used this several times on "no makeup" days and I really love the way it looks just on its own. I've also been using this on my bottom lashes and it has not smudged at all.

Have you tried this lengthening mascara? Did you see any results? Let me know! I will provide an update after I've been using it consistently for several weeks.

Perfect Formula Pink Gel Coat - First Impression

Just a quick first impression of this gel polish! I got this as a free gift with my VIB points at Sephora. I'm a big fan of the slightly pink natural nail polish. My all-time favorite is the Dior Nail Glow which costs a whopping $27 but looks so natural and pretty on my nails. When I saw this as a gift option, I knew I had to try it! 

A pink-toned clear polish is a perfect option when you need to swipe something onto naked nails in a hurry. You don't have to worry about being precise or getting any on your skin, because you won't be able to tell anyway. Also since it's "clear" you don't have to use so many coats - I swipe on a coat or two and that allows it to dry quickly so I can move on. Perhaps the best part about wearing a natural shade like this is that the nicks and chips don't show. I use this during busy weeks because if it chips, no one will be able to tell and you can wear it a lot longer before it starts to look worn. This polish claims to strengthen and brighten your nails. My first impression is that it dries really quickly, but it's not as rosy as the Dior version. It also really stinks - like a very strong top coat. The full version of this is $30 for .6 oz., which is still much cheaper than the Dior version ($27 for .33 oz.). I would imagine that the .6 oz. bottle would last a long time. I use my Dior polish more than any other polish I own and I haven't made much of a dent yet. After 2 days of wear, I don't see any chips in the polish. It is super shiny like a gel and seems to be holding up much better than Nail Glow usually does. My only complaint is that it really isn't very pink. I think next time I'll try 2 coats of Nail Glow and top it off with a coat of this Perfect Formula polish. Maybe that will be the magic combination!

What are your favorite natural nail shades? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time... xoxo!

Origins GinZing Scrub Cleanser & Eye Cream - Review

Origins GinZing Cleanser & Eye Cream

I recently added on a 100-point sample of the Origins GinZing eye cream at check out in Sephora. I had been wanting a new eye cream, but wasn't able to narrow it down and choose one. I had given up, deciding to research some at home later, but was pleasantly surprised when a sample of the eye cream was an option for a 100-point perk. I had heard of the GinZing cleanser from Tanya Burr's October Favorites video, and was interested in trying the eye cream, but hadn't read any reviews on it.

I loved the sample so much that I went out to buy the full size before I had finished up the miniature. Although I don't usually get dark circles under my eyes, I do suffer from bags & puffiness. Especially when the weather is changing (which in Texas is pretty much all the time) I get congested and my allergies start to act up - leaving my with pretty puffy eyes every morning. I picked this up at the Origins store for $30. It's a 0.5oz tub, but I've had the sample tube for about a month and, using it almost daily, I haven't used it up yet. It takes just a tiny amount, so I didn't mind the price. The GinZing range includes coffee beans, Ginseng, & Magnolia extract and claims to clear up darkness, de-puff, and get rid of bags. I put this on directly after I cleanse, follow up with moisturizer, and then apply my makeup. By the time I finish doing my makeup, I no longer have any puffiness or under eye bags.

Another nice aspect about the eye cream is that it seems to be a fairly natural skincare product. It's formulated without Parabens, Phthalates, mineral oil, Petroleum, animal ingredients or synthetic fragrance. This has never irritated my skin, and feels really nice on my eyes in the morning. It's cooling and refreshing, and I do like to keep things as natural and chemical-free as possible.

When I went to pick up the full size of the eye cream, I also got the GinZing Refreshing Scrub Cleanser. I love scrubs - they really help my dry skin, and I was looking for a morning cleanser that will prep my skin for makeup and get my skin ready for the day. This was just under $20 which I thought was a really good price. Definitely worth it, as you really get a lot of product for your money with this one. The first thing I noticed about this cleanser was the smell. This smells amazing! It has definitely become one of my favorite scents. Like the bright orange bottle suggests, the cleanser smells like oranges. It reminds me of candied orange peels. I love this smell in the morning, it's really invigorating and wakes you up and gets your skin ready for the day. I wish I could attach a scratch & sniff here - it's really an amazing scent. If I smelled this in the store, I would have purchased it just for the smell alone. 

Like the eye cream, this has Ginseng & Coffee beans. It has "grains" in the cleanser so it feels like a scrub and it gently exfoliates. I think this is really nice for a morning cleanser because it helps smooth out your skin so your makeup goes on flawlessly. Like I said, I use this only in the morning, so I don't use it to remove makeup. The instructions say to keep this away from the eye area, so I just lather this all over my skin - avoiding my eyes - and wipe it away with a wet cloth. If you do use this as your regular cleanser, I would suggest using a makeup removing oil or balm and then following up with this scrub. It is very slightly drying, I definitely have to moisturize immediately after use, but I love the exfoliation that it provides and it has really seemed to brighten and refresh my skin.

The range also offers a tub of moisturizer and a face mask. I definitely want to try out the mask - it's meant to brighten and refresh skin. If it has the same smell as the cleanser, I'm sure I will love it.

Have you guys tried any products from the GinZing range? What are your favorite Origins products? Let me know in the comments!