New Stila Pieces

L to R: Violet, Halfmoon, Intense Black

 Stila is one of my favorite brands when it comes to eye liners and eye shadows. Honestly, it is probably one of my favorite higher end brands in general. Their "In The Light" Palette is a daily staple of mine that has been part of many monthly favorites. Kitten is my go to inner corner and brow highlight color and I own about 8 of their Smudge Sticks already. Needless to say, I think Stila does amazing eye products. This is way I thought it was about time I expanded my Stila collection. I decided to pick up the "In the Know" Palette and Stila Most Wanted Eyeliner Set. So far I am very happy with my selections.

I have had my eyes on the "In the Know" Palette for quite some time now. It has 12 matte shadows in it which I adore. I have been looking for an all matte palette for a while and the Naked Basic palette just does not have enough colors for me. The "In the Know" palette has a great range of colors from light nudes (air, wind, desert, clay) to dark nudes (earth, driftwood) to grays (rain, smoke), a black (ebony) and lastly my favorite of the bunch, a bright reddish orange color called fox. I feel like this palette allows you do to more than just a simple everyday look. I cannot wait to play around with all the colors and see what looks I can come up with. I also love how all the Stila palettes comes with a Stila Smudge Stick eyeliner. The one is this palette is a gray color called halfmoon.

The Stila Most Wanted little set comes with two liners. First is the Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid eye liner. This stuff is amazing. I have been using it for about a year now and it is the blackest liquid liner ever. The Most Wanted set comes with a deluxe sample size of it but honestly it lasts for ever. The other liner is another Smudge Stick. This one is a bright light purple color called violet. I think this is gonna really make brown eyes pop (which I have) so that makes me really happy!

Overall, I definitely think everyone should check out Stila. They honestly have some amazing eye products!

What have you tried from Stila?

The winner of my giveaway is entry 1008 Abby B! Congrats! :) 

Lots of Love,
Rena

Beauty Swap with Those Stars That Shine

Hello Everyone!

Today I have a super exciting blog post for everyone! My lovely friend Sarah from the blog Those Stars That Shine and I decided to do a beauty swap. I live in the states while she lives on Scotland so we have access to different make up brands. Sarah's blog is one of my absolute favorites and she always leaves such nice comments on my blog so I highly recommend you check her blog out! I adore everything that she has sent me and I cannot wait to do some reviews and some compare and contrast posts. Anyways, here is the exciting part where I show you what Sarah got me! Once again thank you so much Sarah! I love all of it!

Everything came in the super cute green and striped box. Inside was a bunch of colorful confetti and then all the goodies were wrapped in tissue paper! Some of the things had cute little messages on them saying things like this product is her favorite scent or that this color is beautiful! I thought these were such a cute little touch.

 Sarah includes some cameral candy and a Scotland keychain which is already on my keys and a super cute post card! I thought this was such a nice touch. I already finished all of the cameral candy and they were absolutely delicious. 

 Next, Sarah got me a few things From Make Up Academy or MUA for short. First thing she got me from MUA is a 12 shadow palette in Undressed. It has a bunch of great neutral colors. Next, she got me a MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in Reckless. I swatched this on my hand and it was so pigmented! I can't wait to see how long it lasts on the lips. Lastly, she got me the MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter. I have already tried this and oh my god it is amazing! Look out for a review soon.

Bourjois is the next brand, I got a few pieces from. I received a blush in Golden Lilac. It is a pretty   lilac with gold shimmers. I really like how this smells, I know weird. Next, I got a Color Edition 24H Cream to Powder Texture in 6801. This made me think of the Maybelline Color Tattoos so look out for a comparing or possible dupe post about this! I also got a Mega Liner in Extra Large Dark Black. I already tried this and it is amazing for winged eyeliner looks! Lastly,  I got a color Boost in Orange Punch. This color is gonna be awesome for summer!

I was so excited when I saw this little Topshop pack. I have been dying to try some Topshop make up. In this neon yellow pack came a cream blush in Morning Dew and a lipstick in Rio Rio. I've actually never tried a cream blush before so I am super excited that my first one is a Topshop one. The lipstick is  bright red color. The packaging on both of these is so cute!

Soap and Glory is a brand I could get at Sephora but the price difference between the UK and America are nuts. The American prices are three times as much! Sarah was so nice and send me a few body products and a few make up bits! For the body stuff, I got a Clean, Girls Body Wash, The Righteous Butter Body Moisturizer, Hand Food Hand Cream and a Sugar Crush Body Buttercream. I always see Zoella talk about the Sugar Crush so I am so excited to try it out! For make up bits, Sarah sent me Sexy Mother Pucker (nice play on words there!) Lip Lacquer in Riot which is an absolutely beautiful red and a Smoulder Kohl Liner in Superblack which I have yet to try out. 

 Lastly, she sent me a few other bits and pieces. I got a Body Wash in Strawberry by The Body Shop which smells so fresh and delicious! I also got a Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer which I asked for because it is amazing and I wish we could get it in the states! I also got a Seventeen Phwoarr Paint Concealer which Sarah says in her favorite so I am excited to try this out! Lastly, I got a Deluxe lipstick in Prohibition which is a nice cherry color.


Thank you so much Sarah! I honestly could not be happier. I love doing beauty swaps because it allows you try out new brands and favorites of other bloggers which is so awesome. You all should check out Sarah's blog Those Stars That Shine!

My international giveaway is almost over! Enter Here! 

Lots of Love, 

Rena 

Sunrise on the Beach

My international giveaway is ending soon! Click here to enter! 

Hello Everyone! 

In honor of it almost being summer, I decided to do more of a lifestyle post today. A few weeks ago, two of my friends and I woke up at 3:30 am to go watch the sunrise on the beach. I live in New Jersey so going to the beach is something I do every summer but never before have I gone to see the sunrise. Here are a few snip bits of the sun rising. It was absolutely stunning to watch and really soothing. At one point during the sunrise, a boat was rowing right by where the sun was rising. It was perfect timing.  I hope you are all as excited about summer as I am and I can not wait to spend more time at the beach. What are you looking forward this summer? 

Lots of Love,
Rena 

Review: Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer

My international giveaway is still opened! Click Here

It happened guys, I discovered the perfect contouring bronzer. Yes I am talking about the much loved Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer. I recently purchased the Ulta Summer Glam Set and this was one of the gems in it. I highly recommend this set! I received a deluxe sample size in medium/deep and I will definitely be getting the full size one after this one runs out. I think this has changed the whole way I look at contouring. Definitely going to be a staple make up item for me this summer.

Let's start off with the smell. It smells like hot chocolate. Yum I almost want to eat it! There is something about make up that smells like chocolate that makes me love it 100 times more. The packaging is also really nice for a sample. It is plastic with Too Faced carved into it in gold. It also has a good sized mirror in it. The formula of this bronzer is contouring perfection. It is a matte bronzer that looks absolutely amazing when the sun hits it. It goes on like butter and gives you amazingly sculpted cheeks in one swipe. I use this with my ELF Small Stippling Brush (review here) to contour my cheeks, my nose, my jawline and on my temples and oh my goodness my face looks so sculpted! It looks like I've been at the beach for the last week and the sun hit me perfect on my cheeks, jaw, and nose. I honestly don't think I can go back to any other bronzer for contouring ever again. However, I don't like it as much for a whole face glow. I feel like my NARS Laguna (review here) does a better job of giving a full face bronze effect.

Overall, I think this is one of the best bronzers I have ever tried. If you have an Ulta by you, I highly recommended picking up the Summer Glam Set with this amaizng bronzer in it!

What do you use to contour?

Lots of Love,
Rena

Review: Blush Quad by City Color

My international giveaway is still opened! Click Here! 

Left to Right

Have you ever gone into a store that you never expected to sell make up to then find that it did sell make up? Well this is what happened when I walked into Five Below. Never did I think that Five Below would sell make up. While peeking around, I spotted this blush quad. The colors in it looked super summery and it was only 4 dollars. I thought 4 dollars for 4 blushes is such a great bargain. I decided to get it and I ended up being really impressed with such an inexpensive find.

The packaging is pretty basic. It is a black plastic case with 4 see through parts over the 4 blushes. It also has a really thin mirror on the inside which I think is pretty useless for applying blush. However the packing does the job it is meant to do and is pretty sturdy.  It is a bit hard to open but I think that is just because it is fairly new. The colors are all perfect for summer. There is a bright barbie pink one, a shimmery coral orange one, a deeper pink one and a bronzy gold one. I think this palette is great for traveling because the colors are so versatile. The formula is surprisingly nice for a 4 dollar palette. They are very pigmented and apply nicely with a stippling brush. They go on smoothly but the lasting power is not the best. I say about 4 hours before the colors fades but for 4 dollars I am not complaining. The one thing that really annoys me is the smell. They smell like little girl make up if you know what I mean. The smell does not transfer to your skin so it only smells like this in the pan. I think for the price, this is a great steal. It is definitely nice for adding a bit of variety into your blush collection and it is a good starter for those who are new to blushes. This was a great find!

What bargain make up you have found?

Lots of Love,
Rena

DIY Kimono

My internationa giveaway is still opened! Click Here 

Hello Everyone! 

Kimonos have been such a trend this spring and summer. You can get them everywhere from Forever 21 to Pacsun to American Apparel. They are beautiful but I think they are way overpriced. I took a mall trip recently and I found a super cute one at Forever 21 but then I looked at the price tag and it was 40 dollars! That is as much as my leather jacket from Forever 21. I decided to see if I can make my own. This is when I came by this Youtube video by LaurDIY. LaurDIY has a bunch of awesome videos on different DIY and fun stuff like that. Her DIY Kimono video is super easy to follow so I decided to try it out. I absolutely love the results so I thought I would share it with you! 

The Materials: 

 A Scarf (Mine was from Forever 21 for $5.80)

Scissor 

Needle 

Thread 

Measuring Tape

Pins 

The Result: 

I love how this one turned out! I am definitely going to be getting a lot of wear out of it this summer. I also plan on making a few other ones probably a black one and a patterned one. The whole thing cost me a totally of $5.80 for the scarf. I owned everything else before hand. I think this is an awesome deal compared to what you will find at the mall. Not only do you get to pick your own pattern but you also save like $35! 

Would you make your own? 

Lots of Love, 

Rena 

May Favorites

My international giveaway is still opened CLICK HERE to enter! 

London Butter Nail Polish in Snog

Snog Swatch on my nails

UD All Nighter Setting Spray

ELF Small Stippling Brush

Midi Rings

Revlon Color Burst Matte Balm in 235 Mischievous Malicieuse

Mischievous Malicieuse Swatch

Hello Everyone!

Happy June and I hope you all had a great May. For my favorites this month, I have 3 beauty favorites, a nail polish and a fashion favorite. For make up brushes, I have been loving the ELF Small Stippling Brush. I have a full blog post about it HERE. It is really versatile and a great size. Also it is so budget friendly! For lip products, I have really been loving the Revlon Color Burst Matte Balm in Mischievous Malicieuse. I love how matte it is without being drying. Also it is absolutely gorgeous. It is a matte pastel coral color. For face products, I have been loving the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. I've done quite a few prom make ups this month and I have used this on every single one of them. This stuff is amazing as making your make up last all day and night and honestly it keeps your face looks fresh all night long. For nail polishes, I have been loving the Butter London polish in Snog.  I got this in a summer set from Ulta which I highly advice you check out! The color is the perfect bright summer pink. This looks amazing with a tan and on your toes. Lastly, my fashion favorite this month is Midi Rings and just rings in general.  They are so fun to stack and layer and I think they had a nice edgy element to any outfit.

What have you been loving this month?

Lots of Love,
Rena

FOTD: Pop of Color May 30th

Hello Everyone! 

I hope you are all excited for June. I can't wait to start going to the beach every single day. Today I have a quick face of the day for you from a few days ago. I really liked this look. It is a purple shimmer eye with a teal inner corner and a wing. On the lips, I had on a coral color. I thought this was a perfect look for summer. I don't remember what products I used but the inner corner color is by Sephora! I need to start writing down what products I use. I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think! 

By the way, my 150 Followers giveaway is still going on! Check here to enter!

lots of love, 
Rena