beauty blog

Viseart Petit Pro Review

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ 1 Comment

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Viseart is a well known luxury brand used by pros and has very differing reviews from two of my favorite Youtube personalities (Stephanie Nicole who loves these and Livloveshermakeup who had the cool mattes palette and did not like it). I felt that for $30 I could give Viseart a shot and see if it was worth it for me.

This palette contains eight shades (4 matte and 4 shimmer) and a total of 5.84 grams of product, at a price tag of $30 (plus tax and shipping, however I did not include this in the per gram breakdown) it comes down to $5.13 per gram, which is actually pretty steep. I did get this during the VIB sale, as I was planning to purchase it anyway (woo a whopping $4.50 since off).

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A warm toned look using this Viseart palette. 

First and foremost these swatch beautifully, they’re buttery and come off as high-impact shadows. Unfortunately for me, that’s about where it ends. The matte shades are lovely, the blend out nicely and have decent color payoff but they’re honestly no different than my Lorac mattes (which are my favorite). For the price of a Viseart palette I could purchase two Lorac palettes and be just as (if not more) satisfied. Where it gets worse are the shimmer shadows. I put one of my regular eyeshadow brushes in the shimmer shades and barely and pigment was picked up. I eventually had to pack it on and foil it onto my eyelids and then it barely held on for the work day. A few days later I used Juvia’s Place Masquerade palette and it held on better than the Viseart palette did (for slightly less money and more shades in a larger size).

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Swatches

In addition to the actual product, the size of the palette is quite literally the size of my credit card and it is in a fold-out cardboard container (I do know corrugate costs are up right now but this is a pretty teeny carton). The shadows appear to be in a plastic holder within the cardboard packaging and quite frankly just look cheap. They are easily removable so that they can be stuck in a Z-palette for a makeup artist or someone who enjoys condensing their collection. However, I enjoy using palettes all together and haven’t yet invested in a Z-palette.

Though the tones are beautiful I wouldn’t recommend picking this up. Rather invest in the Lorac Pro for $14 more and double the shade selection or the ABH Modern Renaissance if you’re looking for a beautiful warm-toned neutral palette. I’m super bummed that these didn’t live up to the hype for me, but ya live and learn.

 

XO

 

-A

 

Wedding Day Makeup

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ 1 Comment

 

So occasionally I pick up gigs doing wedding makeup on the side. It’s fun to turn my hobby into a side hustle and I truly, truly enjoy doing it.

This blog post features the wedding of Klaudia (the beautiful bride pictured below). Klaudia was one of my classmates in my MBA cohort and a truly kind and beautiful person. Her and her family were so sweet and welcoming and so much fun to work on. They had beautiful weather for their morning brunch wedding.

I was able to do makeup for two bridesmaids, Klaudia’s step mom (not pictured, didn’t get a photo) and the bride herself.

So the following are the products I used for the left bridesmaid:
Lancome teinte idole foundation
Benefit Erase Paste Concealer
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Hourglass blush in surreal glow
Buxom lip liner in White Russian
Lorac Pro palette (cream, white, taupe and espresso)
Maybeline Sensational Luscious Mascara

So the following are the products I used for the right bridesmaid:
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Skin Tint
Maybeline Age rewind brightener concealer
Hourlgass blush in surreal glow
Lorac Pro Palette (cream, nude, champagne).
Maybeline Sensational Luscious Mascara
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Essence Make Me Brow in Blonde
I’m failing to remember the lipgloss I used for her but I will update it if I remember!

 

So the following are the products I used for the bride:

Lancome Tentie Idole Foundation
Lorac Pro Plaette (nude, cream, champagne, taupe) and Too Faced Natural Eyes (the original 9 pan) palette (satin sheets).
Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Palette to create a custom shade
Hourglass surreal light blush
ABH Brow Wiz
Maybeline Age rewind brightener concealer
Hourlgass blush in surreal glow
Maybeline Sensational Luscious Mascara
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Hourglass surreal light finishing powder
Hourglass surreal strobe light highilgihter
Maybeline Master Fix setting spray

 

All in all it was a fun morning and a beautiful day! The photos I saw afterwards were gorgeous and I hope that Klaudia and her now husband had a lovely honeymoon.

 

XO

 

-A

MBA Graduation Day Makeup!

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ 3 Comments

 

As many of you may know I received my MBA in Supply Chain Management last Friday! Exciting (scary), isn’t it? So I wanted to share with you the look I came up with for the day. I was also practicing the look that was requested of the bride I worked on the following day, so I was experimenting with neutral shadows; which is actually different for me. I tend to go for whacky colors or plums/pinks if I’m doing a more natural/neutral look.

For the look pictured I used:

I prepped my skin with Algenist moisturizer.

Lancome Teinte Idole Foundation in Light Bisque.

Hourglass Holiday 2016 ambient lighting palette blush in surreal glow and highlighter in surreal light. This made me fall in love with this blush and with hourglass powders all over again; I’m obsessed!

For my eyes I used the Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar and the original Lorac Pro palette (which is always my favorite for bridal gigs).

I used the Estee Lauder brow pencil I picked up from TJ Maxx a few posts back.

For mascara I layered Too Faced Better Than Sex and Neutrogena healthy volume.

For liner I used the Physicians Formula pen liner that everyone swears is a dupe for Kat Von D’s Trooper (Spoiler Alert; it’s not!)

For concealer I used Benefit Erase Paste and Maybeline Age Rewinder in the brightener shade.

For my lips I used the Rimmel Provocalips in Wish Upon A Berry. (I am obsessed with these; I swear they work just as well as the Lipsense trend everyone is crazy for now).

I finally set the look with Maybeline setting spray.

I spent the day with my mom grabbing lunch, getting to pick out a new couch (was my graduation present) and hanging out with my mom and fiancé. Then, finally, walking across the stage to grab my…diploma holder. Lol. Since my diploma is being mailed. But, hey, I can now add fancy credentials to my name and say I made it!!

 

This photo shows my makeup at the end of the day; which still looked pretty damn good! If you’re wondering my mortar board says, “MBA, when your B.S. can’t take U further.” Yes I am very proud of it. Lol. I tried to hang it on my desk at work but sadly the rhinestones just started peeling off.

 

That’s all for now!

 

XO

-A

 

Life Update

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ 2 Comments

Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry for my going MIA for the last few weeks; to say it’s been busy is an understatement so here’s what’s gone down:

1.) I finished my internship and we had mid-year inventory (anyone whose ever had to do inventory knows this is a nightmare).

2.) One of my cousins got married, so we used that weekend to travel down there to celebrate her marriage and visit family.

3.) I graduated this Friday with my MBA!

4.) I start full time at the location where I did my internship tomorrow.

5) My best friend graduated yesterday with her masters in education and we went over to celebrate with her and her fiancé and family last night.

6.) My fiancé starts his full time photography internship tomorrow.

7.) We booked our reception venue for our wedding and now can wait until next year to do anything else. Phew!

8.) As a graduation present my parents are getting us a new couch, so we’re going to look at those today.

9.) I had the pleasure and honor to do makeup for a wedding of one of my cohort members yesterday. Her and her family were absolutely beautiful and model clients; be looking forward to that post coming soon!

10.) We booked our wedding photographers and their work is absolutely the most stunning I’ve ever seen.

 

That’s all I can think of for now!

 

XO

-A

Look of The Week; Saturday Smokey Glam

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ 2 Comments

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So I’ve been wanting to highlight a favorite makeup look of mine every week and I’m going to start that this week! Thought this look is from a few weeks ago. The look I created for a lunch out with a few of my fellow MBA cohort members at a local cafe.

 

Products Used: 

Maybeline Master Prime blurring primer

L’oread True Match Lumi Foundation

Maybeline Master Conceal concealer

Physician’s Formula Butter Blush in Plum Rose

NYX Contour Palette and liquid liner

Kat Von D Metal Matte Palette

Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter and Glow Liquid Eyeshadow in Molten Midnight

Maybeline Spider Effect Mascara

Rimmel The One Lipstick in Listen Up

Wet N’ Wild Gold Bar highlighter layered with the Anastasia Nicole Guerrero Glow Kit

Clinique Just Browsing tinted brow gel

 

April Sephora Play! 

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ 4 Comments

I know, I know I just posted a follow-up on my bag from February and haven’t even mentioned March yet (things slip your mind when you’re fighting for the job you want right before graduation; spoiler alert I got it!). Anyway, here are the contents and my first impressions of my April Sephora Play bag.

The bag itself, I think is pretty ugly. Lmao. I don’t know how to say that kindly, there’s nothing inherently wrong with it, it’s just not my style.

First things first, the perfume. Almost always this is the “whomp, whomp” of the bag BUT Marc Jacobs Daisy is my holy grail fragrance so I was pretty stoked to get this because I will use it and love it!

Next, I got a Makeup Forever Aqua XL pencil. It’s just a black eyeliner but wow is it smooth and creamy. Love that!

Then, a Smashbox face primer. I’ve tried this before and think it’s okay, I don’t hate it but don’t like it enough to buy the full size. However, Smashbox has a silicone based 24 hour eye primer and that bad boy is worth every penny if you’re in the market. This was a meh sample for me.

Now moving on to skincare (as this was a pretty skincare heavy month).

Sephora collection eye makeup remover: I’m excited to try this, as one of my favorite youtubers (prettypistol86 aka Cherish) loves this stuff and I trust her opinion! // *Edit* I tried it, I hate it. Ugh. It’s so oily and even on my dry skin it’s too much. *sigh*

Finally, I have Peter Thomas Roth and Kate Somerville. Two brands I was pretty freakin’ excited to see, as they’re more luxurious skincare brands and I already really love the PTR face masks. // *Edit* I love love love both of these! The exfoliator is gentle and minty smelling and is doing great things for my acne and the cloud cream is so luxurious on my skin.

Aurora glow kit review 

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ 6 Comments

As soon as I saw the first images of this glow kit I knew I had to have it! Everything about it is beautiful the packing, shades, layout, names, etc. I’ve also become a big fan of the Anastasia glow kits over the last year falling in love with first the sun dipped and then the Nicole Gurrerio glow kits. I never picked up the moon child (I probably will in the future because that baby gets raves) so this is my first experience with Anastasia’s highlighters in the square pans. 

This kit is $40 and when you buy on the Anastasia website you won’t pay tax or shipping so it’s a flat $40 which is fantastic! There are six shades in this kit:

Eclipse; a peachy orange

Luna; an iridescent silver 

Spectra; a cool tone lilac with pink shift 

Helia; an iridescent cool tone green 

Orion; an icy baby blue 

Lyra; a warm honey with gold glitter 

There’s not too much to say about this; it performs beautifully overall. However, Lyra does have quite a bit of glitter in it that leads to fall out and will emphasize texture/look chunky unless it is foiled onto the skin. I have lots of texture on my skin already so I avoid Lyra if I’m running low on time. The rest of the shades are smooth and stunning; silky and long lasting. I am obsessed with this, just as I am with all of my other glow kits! 
My skintone is probably the third shade in every foundation range I use and I would describe it as fair-light but I think these would be even more stunning on complexions deeper than mine. 

These are also very pretty over lipsticks and to make eye looks pop! After I took the following photo I topped my lipstick with Orion. 


Here you can see spectra as my face highlight in my nose and cheeks! I decided to go full unicorn with the blue lips. 🦄 
Overall, I highly recommend! It’s fun, functional and so pretty to look at! 

February Sephora Play! Bag; Final Thoughts

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ 10 Comments

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It’s been about a month (err a little longer) of having these products so I thought I’d share my thoughts on what I received in my February Sephora play bag.

Sephora Lashcraft Mascara– I LOVE this. It adds beautiful length and volume, I will be using this sample to the very last drop and adding this to my to-buy list.

Origins GinZing Eye Cream- This smells nice, feels nice but I notice no special results with it.

Bite Beauty Multi-Stick in Cashew- This is pretty, a bit of a cream to powder consistency. The shade is nice and the product smells lovely, as Bite products tend to but I am so glad I never bought a full size one of these because despite it being a good, pretty product I am just not drawn to it and often let it sit to the wayside.

Tom Ford Neroli Portifino Perfume- I actually really enjoy the smell of this both in the bottle and on me but I can and will not pay $225 for a bottle of perfume unless I become a millionaire overnight, then who knows maybe I’ll have a ~crazy~ shopping spree.

Too Faced Lip Injection Glossy in Milkshake- This plumps my lips beautifully and has a nice shade but burns the hell out of my lips. I do really like the end result so I’ll continue to use the product but I don’t know that I’d purchase a full size at this point.

Clinique Pep-Start Hydro-Blur Moisturizer- I’ll admit, I’ve only tried this on my hand (this is the result of hoarding too many beauty products) but it has a nice scent and a blurring effect really reminiscent of Benefit’s Professional. I will report back once I’ve tried it on my face but so far no irritation on the skin, which is one of the reasons I seem to always love Clinique skin care.

49 Questions-get to know me!

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ Leave a comment
1) Are you a morning or night person? Morning! I am so not a night owl. I fall asleep at 9:00 PM on particularly rough work days but in my defense my work schedule is 7am-3pm so I always feel like my days are off center compared to others. (However, I love both my hours and my job so I won’t complain).
2) Which do you prefer, sweet or salty foods? Sweet! But I also love salty.
3) Ninjas or pirates? Pirate Ninjas.
4) Favorite Movie? The Holiday
5) Favorite flower? Those bright colored daisies you find at the grocery store or classic red roses.
6) What was your favorite childhood television program? Tough one, the best cartoons were in the 90’s. Maybe Doug or Hey Arnold.
7) Are you a collector of anything? Those pressed pennies you get when you visit new places. I used to collect beanie baby bears and still have a ton.
8) If you could be any animal, what would you be? Panda
9) If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Teleportation.
10) What is usually your first thought when you wake up? WHYYYY
11) What do you usually think about right before falling asleep? “Tomorrow when I get home, I’m going straight to bed.” Then I never do. Lol.
12) What’s your favorite color? Pink.
13) What’s your favorite animal? Squirell or Dog
14) Do you believe in extraterrestrials or life on other planets? Yes
15) Do you believe in ghosts? I’m undecided but leaning towards yes.
16) Ever been addicted to a video/computer game? Which one(s)? The Sims and Glover when I was younger.
17) You’re given 1 million dollars, what do you spend it on? Student Loans… el oh el.
18) Have any bad habits? Diet soda, nail biting, not doing my dishes…
19) Which bad habits, if any, drive you crazy? It is a little annoying when I run out of forks…so I suppose not doing my dishes.
20) List 3 of your best personality traits: Witty, talkative and exuberant
21) List 3 of your worst personality traits: Overwhelming, lethargic, neurotic.
22) Have any celebrity crushes? James Marsden…my fave.
23) List 1 thing you wish you could change about yourself: I’d like to lose some weight and have a more positive outlook on life at times.
24) Any tattoos or piercings? Doubles in my ears, used to have cartilage but it hurt to sleep on.
25) What’s the first thing you notice in the opposite sex? Probably height and hair.
26) What personality traits do you look for in a partner? Compassionate.
27) What personality traits do you dislike in other people? Snarky, overly agressive, cold.
28) Do you see yourself getting married in the next 5 years? Yes, I’m getting married next June!
29) Are you mostly a clean or messy person? So very messy!  My poor fiancé has to deal with my mess. Lol.
30) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Australia
31) If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? NYC or Hawaii (We’re looking at NYC for the honeymoon!!) Yeahhh 🙂
32) List 5 goals on your life’s to-do list: 1) Get my CPIM 2) Work for a large international company 3) Get a dog 4) Travel outside the USA 5) Pay off my student loan.
33) Name 1 regret you have: I’m not sure I have any regrets but if I did I’d say not majoring in business/supply chain for undergrad but ultimately I found what I love so no love lost.
34) Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid: No bills!
35) Name 1 thing you love about being an adult: I can eat ice cream for dinner and no one tells me when to go to bed. Lmao. Also, I pick my own groceries and don’t have a curfew.
36) What’s your favorite song of the moment? Shape of You – Ed Sheeran or Perfect- Ed Sheeran
37) What’s your favorite song of all time? Eye of the Tiger
38) What’s your favorite thing to do on a Saturday night? Watch movies/hang out with friends.
39) What’s your favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon? Sleeping or shopping!
40) Have any hidden talents? I can recite the Greek and Spanish alphabet’s.
41) You’re about to walk the green mile, what do you have as your last meal? Boneless wings with ranch, lobster tail, cherry Dr. Pepper, mac n’ cheese and chocolate covered pretzels.
42) What would be your dream job? Buyer for Estee Lauder/L’Oreal/Trader Joes/Amazon/Cisco or Apple. Hire me, please! I have my MBA in SCM and am quite charming! 😀
43) Which would you rather have, 100 million dollars or true love? I already have my love so how about 100 million dollars? (Is that cheating? Lol.).
44) If you could have 3 wishes granted, what would they be? 1) For my parents to not have to work & be able to travel 2) to not gain weight when I eat 3) for everyone in my family (and my friends) to be healthy and happy
45) Ever wish you were born the opposite sex? If so, why? No, not really. Though it’d be nice for jean shopping.
46) Name 1 thing not many people know about you: When I was little I used to walk with my toes pointing towards each other
47) If you HAD to change your name, what would you change it to? I really like the name Skylar
49) What is one question you’d like answered? How do you make waffles without a waffle maker? Do you just resort to pancakes?

 

XO

 

-Amanda

365 Days of Samples-2

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ 1 Comment

Update #1 

Here are the samples I drew last time and my thoughts on them:

1.) The Professional Matte Rescue Foundation Primer-Benefit $28 for full size

I’ll be honest, I haven’t used this yet. I have extremely dry skin and live in northern Ohio, so I’ve been avoiding making myself look too matte and therefore dry and cakey, looks like this guy is rolling over to my next set of samples.

2.) Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream Perfume $80 for full size

It’s a nice, light fragrance. It, however, does not last very long on me unlike the original Daisy. It disappears far to quickly and isn’t anything special. WNR.

3.) Origins Night-A-Mins  renewal cream $43 for 1.7 oz.

This smells really nice and is nice and hydrating. WCR.

4.) Belif Aquabomb moisturizer $38 for 1.68 oz.

I started using this a bit and it is extremely hydrating and lovely. It has a light fragrance and does good things for my dry skin. I’ve made a large dent in this but I’ve still got a bit left so this rolls over to the next set of samples. WR.

5.) Nexxus hair treatment $15.79 for 4.8 oz.

This actually made my hair really soft and nice feeling. I used it as a conditioner and was honestly really impressed with how far this small sample went. I already have my holy grail conditioner/treatment but if I ever couldn’t find it or needed something else I’d look for this. WR.

6.) Whish body butter (lavender scented)$18 for 5 oz.

I can not stand the smell of this stuff. However, it does moisturize my skin. However, I like to smell like something…that I can tolerate the scent of. I’m glad to be rid of it. WNR.

7.) Philosphy Take a Deep Breath oxygenating gel $40 for 2 oz.

This is okay, it smells nice and works fine. However, it’s nothing special. WNR.

8.) Tatcha moisture rich silk cream $150 for 1.86 oz.

Oh. My. Gosh. This stuff is luxurious and incredible but when I looked up the price tag I was honestly horrified. $150?! That’s crazy! I did find a travel size on Amazon for $33, I would consider purchasing this to see how far I could stretch it while it was still beneficial for my skin. This stuff made my skin so soft, supple and moisturized. I even hoarded and got the most I could out of this sample because I love the way it made my skin feel. WCR.

9.) Shea Moisture facial wash/scrub and mask(s). (It’s a 3 pack). All 3 + extras for $19.

Ugh. I think this stuff was okay as far as cleansing my skin went but the mask made my face itch like crazy and boy does this stuff stink, in the worst way. I couldn’t get through the additional two face products and will be passing them along to the friend because I can’t stand the scent and doesn’t do well for my skin. WNR.

10.) Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer $32 for 2 oz.

Before I opened this I thought it was the organ oil, however this is a moisturizer. It is very sticky and has a texture like Elmer’s glue which I find off-putting. It does, however, moisturize my skin and make my skin feel nice. I’m not sure I can get over the texture though. WNR.

Stay tuned this week for my next set of samples drawn from my box.

8 samples finished so far! Not too shabby. 

WCR- Would consider repurchasing
WNR-Would not repurchase
WR-Would repurchase