MAC By Request Is Back!

Hey lovelies! It is that time again, MAC By Request is officially back! I just received the e-mail and couldn't wait to share. If you have never heard of MBR, it is essentially an epic MAC blast from the past of which they select a few long discontinued lipsticks, eye shadows and sometimes other products (last year lipglasses were included) to which the fans vote and the shades that win will be brought back for a second round! How awesome is that?

"You voted. We listened. MAC By Request is back for a second year! What's old is new again, and the most beloved shades from the 90's and 2000's have returned for an encore performance. MAC is bringing back highly-requested retro-classic, long-lost lipsticks and eye shadows. Starting on July 8th - vote on Facebook for your favorite shades and the six (3 lipsticks and 3 shadows) with most votes will return in Spring 2014. Exclusively online."

Now, MAC seems to have posted contradictory information as their official Facebook page states "M·A·C By Request is back! This time with rare shades from the 90s, the vanguard of M·A·C’s timelessly original colour. Vote for your favourites from 7/8/13 - 7/21/13. The top three Lipsticks and Eye Shadows will then be available to purchase this winter! Only one vote per product category, per person, per day"

As you can see, they have gone from saying Spring 2014 to Winter 2013. I have a feeling that the winter date is more accurate but, I will update this post once I receive confirmation.

Lipsticks (from left to right):

Glam - Vivid bright pinky-red (Matte) Viva Glam 1992

Flavour - Soft muted peachy-pink (Satin) Freedom Colour Additions 1994

Tomango - Bright red-orange (Matte) Pre-1990

Hoop - Mid-tone rosy pink (Matte) Le Groove Colour 1991

Rozz - Watermelon reddish-pink (Matte) Pre-1990

Pink Poodle - Vivid fuschia-pink (Frost) Valentine's Day Collection 2000

Eye Shadows (from left to right):

Butterscotch - Warm beige (Matte) Pre-1990

Ashbury - Taupe-grey (Matte) MAC Mod 1990

Fiction - Muted green w/ shimmer (Frost) Colour Abstractions Colour Additions 1997

Diesel - Cool grey (Frost) Freedom Colour Additions 1994

Chill - Soft white w/ shimmer (Satin) Le Groove Colour 1991

As far as lipsticks, I personally will be voting for Rozz, I have looked up swatches and it is absolutely GORGEOUS! And as you know, there is no such thing as having too many red lipsticks.

As for shadows, I will be voting for Ashbury. While it may not be the most unique color, it is the only shade out of the five that I would actually wear.

Let me know below, will YOU be voting? If so, which shades will you be voting for? Also, if you could pick, what other discontinued MAC shades and/or products would you like to see again?

Thank you to the MAC Facebook page for the product info

Much love xo

All Striped Up - Torrid Strapless Dress OOTD

Happy Fourth of July lovelies! I hope you all are enjoying the fireworks along with an abundance of yummy food. Today was an absolute scorcher...well okay, it was a scorcher to ME since anything above 75 degrees has me crying like the Wicked Witch of the West, "I'M MELTING, MELTING!!"

Since it was supposed to be a hot, ahem, beautiful day, my friends and I decided to journey down to the beach and spend the 4th on the sand with a perfect view of the gorgeous fireworks by nightfall. Since I usually come back from the beach exhausted, sweaty, and full of sand where it should NOT be, I decided to take my outfit of the day pictures before I turned into grumpy cat. I figured what better way to enjoy a day on the beach than a cute & casual dress paired with a white denim jacket to keep me at least somewhat warm once nightfall arrived. Okay...you caught me..skip the keeping warm part, I just wanted to rock my new jacket.

By the way, YES! I am wearing a jacket that I haven't the faintest hope of buttoning up. Why? I specifically bought it this way so that whatever top or dress that I'm wearing underneath won't be hindered by excess denim floating in the way.

I decided to wear this outfit sans accessories so that none would get lost in the sand. If you think that the heat makes me grumpy, you can only imagine me trying to dig in the sand for a lost bracelet, now THAT is a sight to be seen (it is similar to a Gordon Ramsay special but, you didn't hear that from me).

Since this post is kind of short I'm going to include my review for this dress as well. I picked this up not too long ago (whenever the last Haute Cash sale was) and I can certainly say, I'm glad I purchased this while on sale and not at pull price. Even though this dress is super cute and beyond comfy, I just don't think that it's worth the $48.50 price tag, in fact nowhere near; I would price this dress as being worth somewhere in the $20 range. Why? I have only worn this dress three times and pilling has already begun, and while that is okay for a cheap item, I do not want a $50 clothing item doing that after only a handful of wears. Also, because of the cotton/spandex material, this dress is fond of losing it's shape after a few hours of wear-time. Thankfully though, the shape does bounce back after it has been washed.

Now, as you've read, this dress has a couple of negative aspects but, don't fret, this dress has a certain level of awesomeness as well. Firstly, if you're like me and you sweat, and by sweat I mean boob sweat, belly roll sweat, and the whole shebang, this dress is perfect. Since it is made out of pure cotton, it keeps you both cool and dry, which is essential when being a fat babe and walking around in 80+ degree weather. Secondly, as I said above, this dress is wonderfully comfy as the sizes run quite large. I purchased a size 5 and I could have easily went down to a 4 or maybe even a size 3. Also, if you're a SPANX wearer like myself, this dress is flowy enough that you can easily forgo the SPANX (I know I did).

Overall, if you're looking for a cute summer dress that will keep you comfortable, cool, and dry, this is a good dress to own. However, I still would not pay full price; this item is on-sale right now for $33.95 but, between you and me, I may or may not have seen a $10 off coupon floating around so be sure to search for that *shameless hint*.

Torrid Black & White Striped Strapless Dress

Ashley Stewart Cropped Denim Vest

Lipstick is MAC Russian Red. Check out my review here!

This dress is also available in two other colors, you can check them out here & here

Much love xo

The Beauty Blogger Tag!!

Big thanks to Cookie over at The Charming Cheshire for tagging me! If you have yet to check out her blog, do so now! She is one of my favorite bloggers and she posts a lot of great content, you can check out her Beauty Blogger Tag Post here. Now let's get right to it, shall we? Onward we go!

Rules:

• State that this tag was created by The Beau Bow
• Tag some more beauty bloggers
• Title this as I've done to show what the tag is about

This tag was created by The Beau Bow!

The lovely bloggers that I've tagged are at the bottom of this post!

Questions:

1. Name a beauty routine you rarely do. Drying my hair? Well with a blow dryer that is; I almost always let my hair air dry except for rare occasions that I don't have time. 

2. Is washing your makeup brushes something you do regularly? I always spot clean my brushes after using them, but unfortunately I do not actually wash them regularly enough. Horrid, I know. 

3. How long will you last with chipped nail varnish? I never really worry about chipped nails. I usually just leave everything alone until I decide to change my nail polish completely.

4. How long do you put off buying/replacing a beauty or nail polish product even if you need it (i.e. - top coat, foundation, etc.)? I will usually re-purchase a product before I run out but if not, I will purchase it shortly after if it is an essential or a favorite. If it it something that I can get by without then I won't be in a rush to get it. 

5. What is your worst beauty habit? Probably not removing all of my eyeliner at night. I don't currently own makeup remover but, I do try to remove what I can with my cleanser; I can never seem to get all of it though because I almost always wake up with eyeliner smeared up to my eyebrow. 

6. Name something non-beauty related that you put off all the time. Cleaning out my purse. I constantly throw makeup items and other things into my bag, until one day I'll freak out because I think that I've lost certain things, lo and behold they're right there in my purse.

7. When going out somewhere, do you leave getting ready until the last minute or not? Most of the time, if I'm going somewhere casual or to spend a day with friends I will usually put off getting ready until almost time to go. If I decide to have a more dressed up day, I will easily spend a few hours getting ready.

8. Can you commit to spending bans? I'm actually sort of on one right now, with the exception of purchasing a few things here and there, I haven't really spent any money towards new makeup or clothing in a few months. 

9. How organized is your makeup and nail polish collections? For a beauty blogger and lover of all things makeup, my collection is quite small compared to those that I have seen. My entire nail polish collection is organized into one half of an empty Birchbox and my makeup collection is organized into 2 tiny storage drawers, one for eyes and the other for face and lips, I try to keep everything pretty neat and in their respective places.  

10. What is the longest time you've gone without writing a blog post? About a month or so. I hate having to go on hiatus but sometimes it's necessary.

I Tag:

Becky // Love Is Beauty

Jackie // Five Two Certified

Laura // Laura Loves That

Jess // Let's Play Makeup

Irna // Little Beauty Lashes

Pretty Purchases

Thank you again to Cookie for tagging me, I really enjoyed doing this fun little post! To those of you that I've tagged, I cannot wait to see your answers! And as always, Happy Blogging!

Much love xo

Birchbox June

Hey lovelies! Wow, I feel like it has been forever since my last Birchbox post. Forgive me for posting this so late in the game, I know that everyone has received theirs by now but I just received mine about a week ago and I still had to try everything out. Luckily, I can say that it was well worth the wait! Can I just express how much I adored this month? I could not have received a more perfect box; I was sent box #26 which contained:

• Davines Three-Step Hair System (Shampoo, Conditioner, Oil)
• Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser
• Youngblood Hi-Definition Hydrating Mineral Perfecting Powder
• Colorclub WanderLust Collection Polish (Reign In Spain) 

This month, Birchbox decided to revamp their entire look from the design of the website right down to the boxes themselves. They even sent a few postcards to celebrate the opening of their new offices around the world, and so, it was only fitting that the theme for the June box is "wanderlust".

"Counting the days until your next takeoff? Mentally assembling the ultimate packing list for Bora-Bora? Corralling the family for a beach getaway? We feel you. When wanderlust strikes, it sticks. That's why this month's box is filled with samples from near and far that will serve you well on all your summer adventures."   

I think the items that I received fit perfectly with the summer essentials/wanderlust theme. Of course you're going to need shampoo on your travels, along with oil and conditioner to hydrate your hair afterwards. Why not take along an exfoliator to keep your skin looking soft and glowy. Don't forget your powder to keep your skin oil free in the hot sun, and who doesn't want a bright, summery polish to complete the look? Okay...I really am reading too much into this. Let's just get to the reviews shall we?

I am really fond of this shampoo, it has a light, pleasant, almost baby powder scent and a little went a very long way. My favorite thing? It made my hair incredibly soft. I am pretty sure this is the very first shampoo that I have encountered to make my hair feel like I've used conditioner. As far as the conditioner itself, I did not enjoy it nearly as much as the shampoo. Somehow, it actually made my hair my hair feel less soft once I rinsed it out; now that is something I will never understand. How does a conditioner make your hair feel worse!? As far as the oil, I hated it as it did absolutely nothing for my hair -correction- it ended up making my hair crunchy and sticky even though I only used a small amount. I would purchase the shampoo if not for the price.

Davines Shampoo: $24.00 // 8 oz

Davines Conditioner: $27.50 // 8 oz

Davines Oi/Oil: $41.00 // 4 oz 

Now to my favorite product of the box, I am infatuated with this cleanser! I know infatuated is a strong word but, I really do love this product; it has my skin positively glowing after using it and amazingly, I only need a pea sized amount because it spreads quite well. My only gripe is that since it is so dense, I find it a little tricky getting the right amount, couple that with the sample being in a small jar and it's a little rage inducing (I wish it had come with a scoop) not to mention jars can be unsanitary so make sure to have clean hands. But, once I've gotten some out, it is super easy to use. I just rub this onto my face using warm water, after a couple of minutes the sugar is completely dissolved, and I rinse my face with cool water. I can't say that this has done anything for my dark spots, or if it's even supposed to but it has made the large pores on my cheeks a lot smaller. I will be purchasing this at some point. Retail: $32.95 // 4 oz

I honestly did not think that I was going to like this powder as much as I did given my terrible experience with the similar ELF version. Past experiences aside, I find myself reaching for this as my go-to powder now; being my first Youngblood product ever, I am very impressed. Unlike the ELF version which made my face feel tight, dry, and uncomfortable, this powder does none of that. In fact, I can't even notice when I wear it; it blends in flawlessly and does not leave any white-ish overcast or residue on my skin. As far as the hydrating and oil control aspects, my face does feel softer when using this and it does a great job with controlling my t-zone oil. However, this powder does not last all day and I find myself having to re-apply at least once which can be quite messy with the sample jar. I would purchase this. Retail: $40.00 // 0.35 oz

When they said neon pastels, they meant NEON PASTELS ( it looks muted in the bottle, don't be fooled!). This coral/pink shade is borderline highlighter bright to the point that I was very hesitant to even try it. I can't say that I like the way the neon looks against my skintone but, it is a very pretty color; if I could find a dupe for this that was not neon then I would be a happy camper. My gripe with this as well as all other Color Club polishes that I've tried is that it applies very streaky, uneven, and full of bubbles no matter how careful I am, so for that alone I do not recommend. I have heard that the full size CC polishes do not have this problem as the issue lies with the mini brushes, I plan on trying a full size CC polish in the future to see what I think. Retail: Color Club Wanderlust Set: $8.00 // 4 mini polishes

Overall, even though I only received forty points this month, I am super happy with what I received. The polish wasn't my favorite but it is a nice shade and something that I can use. I downright hated the oil but at least it was an extra. Since I loved three items and liked two out of a total of six, I definitely call this a fantastic box. I am SUPER proud of Birchbox, they seemed to have finally stepped it up in terms of sending bigger and better samples; looking forward to the July box!

Much love xo

Favorite Product Of The Month - June

Hello lovelies! I know that I haven't done a favorite in the month in awhile now but, it is officially back! This month was pretty easy for me to choose since I've been using this polish non-stop. It is OPI's Cajun Shrimp! I know, I know, this polish is nowhere near new but, it's something that I purchased not too long ago and have completely fallen in love with, in both name and formula.

I had heard so much about Cajun Shrimp prior to picking it up that I was honestly infatuated with it before I even made a purchase and I can see now that all of the rave reviews were exactly right. This is a gorgeous unique color that looks great on both my toes and hands. C'mon, we all have those polishes that only look good on one or the other however, Cajun Shrimp is the boss of both (okay that was corny). It is not quite true red, not quite orange, not quite pink but completely beautiful. I'm going to refrain from using the old "It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...." Okay...I'll stop. Seriously, I will.

My favorite thing about this polish is how fun and bright it is, along with it's creaminess and ability to be opaque in one coat. However, I do have a problem with my nail line peeking through ever so slightly so two to three coats is probably best in my case but, it's nothing that bothers me; just something to be aware of. And honestly, how many of us really bother with three coats?

As someone who tends to get chips far too easily, between typing and hand washing my polish usually doesn't stand a chance; I was very impressed by how much this shade stood up to the task, my mani's last about five days without chips versus the usual two days and even then, because of OPI's super wide brush (which I adore BTW) it is a lot easier to touch up. I know you're thinking, how does a wider brush make it easier to touch up? Well to me it does, I have never ever been able to master the art of using tiny, thin brushes, I always make a mess....I'm looking at you ZOYA.

Overall, if you love oranges and reds but want something summer-esque and gorgeous (with a delicious name!) Go, stop what you're doing and pick up Cajun Shrimp or...maybe go and just barbecue some shrimp, either one is approved.

Much love xo