fun

Life is Crazy!

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ Leave a comment

I know, I know. All I do lately are life updates but it’s been a crazy year. I had just gotten hired full time at the place I had been interning when I got recruited to work for a bigger company with an offer I couldn’t refuse. I moved four hours from home and have been living with my grand-little four hours away from my fiancé and our kitty and it’s been great and also stressful and sad. I miss my fiancé and family and kitty but I love my roommate and the job has been really, really cool.

I’m now commuting to work, which I hadn’t done before but it allows me to live in a nicer, more metropolitan area than where my job is located. I just picked out the new apartment/condo for my fiancé and I to move into next month and it is amazing! It’s being completely renovated (new floors, paint, appliances, counter tops, cabinets, hardware, toilets, etc.). It’s going to be so incredible and such and amazing upgrade.

I’ll touch on a few things I’ve done since i’ve last written: took my mom to see Wicked for her birthday and had a fun weekend downtown with her, went to a bachelorette party in downtown Cincinnati, Gone to another wedding (and have another next weekend), finalized some more things for my wedding, stopped Sephora Play and started Boxycharm (I’m obsessed!), started traveling for work, had our engagement photos taken, signed my cat up for a subscription box because she’s a spoiled princess, found a new place to live, bridesmaids all got their dresses, saw John Mayer, went to an outdoor sculpture park and so much more! I swear sometimes life gets away from me and I have to play catch up.

Here’s some photos from the last few months:

 

L: Mom and I at Wicked. R: My friend Kim and I at her wedding.

L: Snapchat selfie from engagement photo day. R: Fiancé and I at Kim’s wedding.

L: My spoiled kitty. R: My fancy shoes I bought at the Saks outlet near me and wore for Wicked.

L: Sculpture from a local sculpture park R: Rooms and I at John Mayer.

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One of my recent makeup purchases that I am very happy with!

 

XO

-A

Life Update; Again.

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ Leave a comment

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Let’s just say, things have been crazy! I once again found myself in the middle of a bunch of interviews for a new job, one that I wanted but did not apply for (can I tell you how cool it is to be recruited?). Anyway, after a long interview process I know find myself in the southern part of the state, working in another state for a really, really awesome company. I am so excited to have my dream job! I am temporarily residing with my grand little until my fiancé finishes school, then heads down this way. I’ve been here a little over a week and I LOVE LOVE LOVE this city. It seriously is so incredible and has everything. The only thing that I’m (somewhat) unhappy with is my long commute to work but life is about balance, right?

 

Anyway, as the picture above shows a MAC lipstick. I was able to make it to an Ulta on national lipstick day. I was 45/50 in line and I was able to snag a freebie. The color I got is a matte bright pink called, “Breathing Fire.” It’s gorgeous and I adore it. I’ll try to insert a picture of it on my lips following this paragraph.

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Ughhh. If only I would have blended my nose contour. Ah well, you live and you learn. I’ve got some new products that I’ve been loving on so a favorites (and hate its) post should be coming your way soon, as well as my promised review of the Tarte Clay Play palette. I’m also thinking I want to get a cut and color soon, my hair is at that stage where if it’s getting longer it’s taking it’s sweet ‘ol time and it’s so thick it just frizzes at the bottom. (Thick hair struggles, I know, I know I hate me too).

 

For right now work is crazy busy and traveling will start super soon. I miss my fiance, family, kitty and doggo like crazy but at times I’m too busy to notice. I’ve been enjoying eating tons of the delicious foods that are down here and visiting all the cool places to shop. I seriously am never at a loss for what to do, I even went to a concert with minimal planning last night and it was incredible! Once of the nicest outdoor venues I’ve been to! It was so fun to hang out with my roommate and jam out.

 

That’s all for now!

 

XO

-A

July 2017 Sephora Play Box 

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ Leave a comment


Photo above without flash.

Hello all, I wanted to share with you the contents and thoughts on the products I received in my July 2017 Sephora Play. My June box was rather awful, it had products for blow drying (which I never do) and curly hair (that I don’t have) and I only enjoyed 2 of the products, it was the worst one I’ve received so it wasn’t worth mentioning.

Photo above shows use of the lipstick and the mascara.

This month, however, I’m far more impressed! I got a leave in conditioner from Brigeo that smells like orange juice, a caudile anti wrinkle serum (seems nice, too early to tell how it works), a tarte lipstick that is a lovely pinky-brown nude, a Bobbi brown mascara (which is nice and volumizing), the fresh rose face mask which is hydrating and I love and a fragrance from clean which is nice enough that I’ll wear but not something I would purchase, especially at the cost of perfumes! 

Photo above with flash. 

I’d definitely say my $10 went to better use this month! Right now this is my only subscription but I’ve been quite pleased overall that I just signed up for boxycharm (and much to my annoyance got waitlisted). So hopefully when I get off the waitlist I’ll have some cool products to try out! 

That’s all for now!

XO

-A

BH Cosmetics Galaxy Chic first impression

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ 1 Comment

So I went to Ulta today to get my brows done and did a little stress shopping. There are exciting, scary, amazing, terrible (not really) things happening that have my stress levels through the roof. Last weekend was my best friends wedding and it was so fun and beautiful but also stressful and time consuming so I’m starting to decompress. Today I snagged this bh cosmetics baby for $16 which is an incredible deal for a palette these days. Especially when a crappy Maybeline palette is $14 (looking at you, blushed nudes). 


This BH palette has 18 shades which makes these colors less than $1 each! You can get a stunning variety of looks too! These shadows are baked so they work best with a mixing medium of your choice (I chose to use fix plus). Though they swatch fine dry, I don’t see them applying well without liquid. 

  

That being said, the look I achieved was quite vibrant and stunning! I used Earth, Neptune, Milky Way and Aphrodite. I also used Saturn as my face highlight.

There’s some pretty shades in both the warm and cool toned families. I will say there are two blues and two purples that are so similar I’m sure they’ll be indistinguishable on the eye but that still leaves 16 unique shades. However, this palette is all shimmers so if you are one of those people who refuses to use a shimmer in the crease because of ~rules~ (I get you if you have hooded eyes or small lid space) then this isn’t for you or you’ll need a companion palette of matte transition colors. 

I find this palette so aesthetically pleasing and totally dig the galaxy/space vibe and the marbelized shadows. I feel that this was a good buy as I had no issues applying or blending these shades and found them to be vibrant on the lid. I’m looking forward to creating more looks with this guy! 


XO

-A

Yes to Cotton Micellar Water Review

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I picked this baby up for around $6 or $7 at my local CVS. I was initially drawn to the packaging and the cotton scent, as fresh laundry/linen scents are some of my favorite of all time. After letting this sit around in my collection for a while, I finally busted this bad boy open. It was a little difficult to get open at first but once I did, I fell in love.

This micellar water has a nice, light linen scent and takes off dirt, oil and makeup like a breeze. It also has the nicest pump that you can push down on with a cotton round and come up saturated then be able to wipe off makeup like a breeze. This leaves my skin clean feeling and refreshed. There’s not much to say other than if you’re in the market for a really fantastic micellar water with a fantastic pump, I’d give this one a go!

Lorac Pirates of the Caribbean; 4 looks one palette & review!

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ 1 Comment

Let me start this by saying two things. 1.) When I first saw this drop I had no intention of purchasing it but then I saw it in person and understood 2.) Lorac makes my single favorite eyeshadow formula of all time

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This palette retails for $52 but was on sale at Ulta last week for $41. I used Kohls cash (that my mom graciously gifted to me) to purchase mine. The packaging is large, clunky cardboard reminiscent of old school Urban Decay palettes. The eyeshadow palette contains a slit on the side to store the blush/highlighter palette if you decide to purchase that as well (they’re not sold together).

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This palette contains 18 eyeshadow shades and one mini eyeliner. This eyeliner is AMAZING. I kid you not it’s the best eyeliner I have EVER tried in my waterline. I was so, so surprised, as I’ve never tried any of loracs eyeliners or mascaras but boy will I be in the future.

This is a very cool toned eyeshadow palette and I am loving that, as I have a very cool complexion so these shades have been so flattering and so fun to play with. I’ve been infatuated with warm tones lately so it’s been fun to go back to my tried and true.

My favorite of the shadow shades are: silvermist, pirates chest, sea haze, silent mary and black pearl.

 

Above are my two favorite looks I created. This palette is fantastic for cool-toned smokey looks. I was able to create a silvery blue smokey eye with silver mist, yo ho, black pearl and silent mary and I was also able to create a green smokey eye using bones, sea haze, menace and ghostly. I LOVE these two looks and can’t wait to wear both of them again. Lip color on the left is Colourpop Clueless and the lip color on the right is Smashbox gloss in Pulse.

This next look was a very nice, wearable look that I rather enjoyed. I used the shades pirates chest, matey and compass. Lip color is Bite lip pencil in beige nude with a gloss over it.

For my final wearable look I used treasure, bones and tell no tales. I actually enjoyed this look far more in person that the way it photographed. Lip color is Nars Dragon Girl.

 

Overall, I really love this palette. It’s extremely versatile and it has been very easy to travel with. I also love the convenience of being able to store the blush palette (which I also purchased) in it so that I have a large number of my powdered face products all together. The large mirror is also very nice (there is also a nice mirror on the blush palette). Like most Lorac shadows they kick up up a bit of powder, but noticeably less than the Lorac Pro palette. These shadows are well pigmented and perform well. They hold for longer when used with a primer and or concealer on the lids (do note that I have very oily eyelids). I did find that sea haze performed far better with I sprayed some Maybeline master fix on my brush before picking it up and it was quite stunning foiled.

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Swatches in the same order shadows are in the palette starting at the top left. 

I heard that this didn’t get the greatest reviews but I rather disagree. I find this to be an excellent and very versatile palette. It has proven to be travel friendly and able to create a variety of looks for day and night (dates, work, shopping days, etc). If this is something you’ve been on the fence about I’d say if you enjoy cool tones and the Lorac shadow formula and don’t mind bulky packaging then I’d say absolutely pick this up! It’s excellent quality and fun! This is the most inspired I’ve felt by a makeup item in a long time and I didn’t even think it was something I wanted at first.

 

That’s all 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

 

VIB Sale Haul 2017

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ 10 Comments

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As, I’m sure a lot of you know the VIB sale started last week and continues through Monday. Though I’ve been VIB/VIB Rouge for a while this is my first time shopping the sale. These are the things I picked up!

Viseart petit pro palette (pictured above); I wanted to try a handful of Viseart shadows without paying $80 so this is what I landed on. It’s a beautiful selection of dark/earthy mattes and shimmers. I’ll do a full review when I’ve been able to play with it for a while. For the longest time I wasn’t on board with this whole “omg warm tones” trend but now I’m finally getting into it so I thought this was a perfect little palette to pick up!

 

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Becca Prismatic Amethyst: I’ve been debating this one for a while, as I already have rose quartz. With my birthstone being amethyst combined with the collector in me said I have to have this. It is a beautiful more subtle opalescent white highlight with a lavender shift and it is honestly perfect for my skin tone, so no love lost!

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Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadow in the color sunset cove: This is a stunning holographic eye glitter that is wearable in the daytime. I already had molten midnight which makes a stunning smokey eye; but not something I could wear to work, whereas I can create a super fun look that’s office appropriate (well, at least in my office) with this! Lol.

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Finally, I cashed in 100 points to try this YSL The Shock mascara. I’ll report back and perhaps even do a full review after I’ve tried this!

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So, I didn’t pick up too much as 15% is honestly barely a discount unless you’re buying a lot/very pricey items, so I just picked up some things I was planning on getting anyway. Let me know what you picked up during the VIB sale in the comments!!

XO Amanda

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!