NOTD: O.P.I. "The Thrill of Brazil" + ZOYA "Chloe"

Ahhh~ what better way to take a break from writing a paper and figuring out my schedule for next semester than by reminiscing over last week's manicure? I suppose it would be better if it were raining softly 

outsi—oh wait, it is. Well I guess it would be near perfect if Galileo was snoozing sweetly in my la—oh my, looks like that's already a thing too. Dare I say this moment would be perfect if I had leftover Dominos pizza in the frid—OH LAWD, AND I HAVE BEER.

Shucks, it looks like this afternoon just went from bad to best. Cheers!

All of the credit for my nails this past week have to go to my girl Stephanie; she didn't specifically tell me to do this manicure but a combination of this post (I can't believe it was over a month ago now… feels like I just read it yesterday!) and the inclusion of ZOYA's "Chloe" in a big box of goodies she so kindly sent to me birthed this beaut of a nail combo. 

Even though spring has technically sprung it sure doesn't feel like it outside, so I decided to take matters into my own hands (mother nature clearly has her green thumb busy elsewhere on planet Earth) and have my nails radiating their own heat. I mean, how freaking fiery does this nail polish combination look!? Each time I catch a glimpse of my nails I can't help but get visions of laying out on a dock after a dip in the lake, water droplets evaporating slowly with the musty summer heat in the lazy afternoon air… alright, I'm going to make myself cry if I keep that up. 

Back to the polishes: O.P.I.'s "The Thrill of Brazil" is that quintessential maraschino cherry red that every girl should have in their polish arsenal. It's bright, not too warm and not too cool, and oh-so-easy in terms of application and wear. The thing that takes it to a whole new level though is the addition of a coat of ZOYA's "Chloe" over top. It's a sheer coral base infused with opalescent flecks, the majority of which reflect only red/orange/yellow but there are the odd few green/blue reflectors in there as well. What a freaking spectacle in the gloom-and-doom-end-of-the-semester-madness-laced-with-a-never-ending-winter we seem to be stuck in at the moment!

I just can't with these two polishes, they're just so pretty!!! Not to mention they held up together extremely well; I've had this manicure on for the past 7 (maybe 8?) days, two of which were filled with retail work (anyone who has worked retail knows how surprisingly tough that is on the nails), and it's hardly got any signs of wear on it apart from nail growth. Winner winner chicken dinner (though I suppose I'll be having pizza tonight… mmm)!

Big thanks to Stephanie once again for the ZOYA polish (I'm glad to give it a loving new home!) as well as for being a wonderful person in general. Stop by her blog, tell her Galileo and I say 'hi', and heck you should probably follow her for nail polish goodness while you're there ;)

Have you tried either of these polishes before?

What nail colors make you crave spring/summer?

What's currently on your nails?

Do share!

xoxo - Cassie

stila cc cream: First Impression + Review!

Are you crazy busy this weekend like I am? Need to take a little breather from that 10,000 page paper due on Monday? Nothing to watch on TV? Well then I may have just the thing for you… can you guess? It's probably the video linked above… just a hint… no pressure or anything though, take your time… ꒰｡•ॢ◡-ॢ｡꒱ ❤⃛

Anyways, in all seriousness: I have a new video up on YouTube! So if you're curious about the stila cc cream or if you just plain want to watch me talk for multiple minutes then feel free to watch!! 

As always, I hope you enjoy~

xoxo - Cassie

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick "Jungle Peach": Swatches + Review!

One of my followers/readers/viewers (I don't remember on which platform nor her name or username and I feel terrible that I forgot; I'm usually pretty good at that since I truly do appreciate all of your feedback, suggestions, and updates!) informed me of Revlon's relaunch of five vintage shades for Spring of 2014 and, true to form, I hopped right on it. I had no idea which colors were being relaunched… I just read the comment and promptly ran to my local Walgreens to check out the goods. 

Slightly maniacal? Oh fer'sher, but I wouldn't be me otherwise!

I actually got "Jungle Peach" when these relaunched shades were first(-ish) released so I've had this for awhile now… sorry for the late review! And truth be told, now that I'm looking at the relaunch information online I'm kind of kicking myself for not picking up "Snow Peach" while I was at it (my Walgreens had all of the shades except for "Fifth Ave Red" in stock). We'll see though; hopefully there's still one kicking around in the stands somewhere but, if not, it's not like I'll die from lack of lipstick without it. 

I don't know about you all but I love the way Revlon lipsticks look when they're brand new. Granted, all new makeup products have that pristine delectability to them but Revlon lipsticks have something extra decadent about them in my eyes. Something about the dip in the top plane of the lipstick, the almost plastic-like shine… gawd, it gets me going (don't be weird, you know the feeling I'm talking about and it has nothing to do with the bedroom). 

That aside, I was a little disappointed that Revlon didn't make the lipstick tubes of these relaunched L.E. shades any different than the usual. If you look up some of the vintage designs they used way-back-when there are some really pretty ones they could have chosen from! The "Futurama" case is all sorts of fancy looking and I would have loved that little extra oomph to make the line feel extra special. Especially when most of the colors (all of which were voted on by the public, I might add!) aren't too out of the ordinary. 

"Jungle Peach" is pretty much what you would expect from the name: a warm orangey pink. It's a bit light and has some heavy duty yellow undertones to it so, unfortunately, I can only see this working on a slim amount of the lipstick wearing population. This is just one of those colors that's either going to work or going to make you look all sorts of terrible. Thankfully for me "Jungle Peach" ended up being flattering but just one shade lighter or more yellow/orange and it would have been a disaster!

Also, true to the Revlon Super Lustrous line this performs identically to the others I own. "Jungle Peach" goes on creamy and smooth, is slightly sheer but yet buildable, and has an 'average' wear time of around 3 hours. The formula is also slightly moisturizing so I never feel the need to prep with a lip balm before wear or between touchups.

So there you have it folks! I've got a feeling I'm going to be wearing "Jungle Peach" a ton once mother nature gets her act together and makes Spring start to feel like it has sprung. As of right now though it's just not appealing as a 'throw it on and go' kind of a color with the 20-something degree weather outside… brrr!!

Did you get your hands (and lips) on any of the L.E. relaunched Revlon lipsticks?

What was your experience?

What did you think of the shades chosen as a whole?

Do share!

xoxo - Cassie

Collective Spring Break Haul!

I know it's been a long while since I last posted a video over on YouTube so I figured I'd let you all know in case you missed my rambling gob! My wonderful mom came to visit me here in Boston and, along with lots of relaxing, we spent a lot of our time browsing the mall (aka shopping). We both got tons of goodies at great prices though so I put them all together in a haul to share with you!!

If you do check it out, (as always) I hope you enjoy~

xoxo - Cassie

NOTD: NYC "Lincoln Center" + Studs

Remember in my last post how I said I was behind on my blog posts? Maybe? Maybe (probably) not? 

Well, case in point: this manicure. It was the one I was sporting in my Best & Worst of Beauty video for February… which means these pictures are from almost a month ago. 

We can all look past that though, right? Because this manicure was pretty important.

All it took to make these studded nails was one of my favorite nail polishes, some small beads, and quite a bit of patience (or, if you're me, a strong commitment to stupidly blinged out nails). I can't even begin to tell you how much I love NYC's "Lincoln Center"; it's honest-to-goodness one of my favorite polishes that I own. The deep blood burgundy color is sultry, pretty, and sophisticated all at once but to up the ante I decided some studs were in order. 

Granted, I honestly have no idea what to call these little gold balls that I own/used. They're just very small beads/balls/spheres (help me out here) but when pushed into nail polish I think they look quite stud-like. I nabbed them on eBay for $0.99 (or something equally as heinously fantastic) from a nail art seller that doesn't charge for shipping and think they add a definite statement to an otherwise 'normal' manicure.

 I was shocked at how long this manicure lasted… it was something like 5 or 6 days before a couple of the studs started chipping off at work (darn clothes hangers). Not sure why or how it lasted that long since I'm using up a terrible top coat at the moment; I'm chalking it up to the nail gods taking notice of my efforts and making sure the magic lasted for as many people to gawk at as possible. 

So many people grabbed my hands (yes, they literally took them in their own) while I was working at the cash register and asked about my nails when I had this manicure on! At first I was thoroughly upset at my personal bubble being so blatantly popped but eventually I felt the flattery and love seeping in… a bit like taking shots of Captain.

Have you ever tried 'studding' your nails?

Love the look? Too much work for you?

Do share!!

xoxo - Cassie

Maybelline the Rocket Volum'Express Mascara: Swatches + Review!

I feel like I've been a blogging fool as of late, yet when I look at all of my albums ready to go on iPhoto I can't help but realize how behind I am. Not that any of you are hanging on my every word for guidance or anything (hahah) but I just feel it's good to get these reviews done when all of the feels are fresh in my brain (or on my face, I suppose). Silly rambly nothings aside though, I really did feel it was time for me to update you on my overall thoughts of the Maybelline "the Rocket" mascara!

I've been testing this mascara for nearly a month now and let me tell you: it's been quite the roller coaster ride. When I first tried it out I was slightly underwhelmed; I thought it looked great on my lashes but, by the end of the day, they ended up sagging like I know my boobs will in 10 years. Maybelline's "the Rocket" mascara has an extremely wet formula which causes a bit of clumping during application and a weight that dryer mascaras never seem to have. My lashes are left looking fairly straight at the end of the day and just not the perky buggers I know them to naturally be. 

I have noticed, however, that this mascara is definitely one that gets better with time. Granted this development has only been apparent to me during the past few days but that explains why my opinion didn't reflect it in my Best & Worst of Beauty video last month. You all know I'm honest with you though so I can't leave this discovery out! As it dries up (and runs out) it becomes much more weightless on the lashes, doesn't cause drooping, and in general is just much nicer to work with.

Regardless of how well Maybelline's "the Rocket" mascara works in the long run though, I just can't imagine purchasing it again or recommending it to anyone. You shouldn't have to go through weeks of torment just for happiness at the end, something which easily could have been provided with a different drugstore mascara (I ended up falling in love with CoverGirl's "Clump Crusher") from the very start.

It would also be terrible of me not to mention that this mascara is an absolute BUGGER to get off of your lashes at the end of the day! Seriously it is such a pain in the butt to get off, even with the help of my beloved Pond's Cold Cream. I've tried oils, wipes, and other creams as well and none of them have been able to get "the Rocket" off with ease (if at all). The horrible ordeal I know I'll have to go through at the end of the night often prevents me putting this mascara on in the morning… basically ruining the fun and beauty that is all things cosmetics. 

Have you tried Maybelline's the Rocket Volum'Express mascara?

Love it? Hate it?

What mascara are you currently using?

Do share!

xoxo - Cassie

Thrift Swap!!!

Need a video to cozy up with this weekend? Well then I may have just the thing for you… a thrift swap!! 

I was honestly so excited to do this video with my lovely YouTube friend Salamanda that I giddily giggled throughout the whole thing (seriously it's kind of embarrassing). If you want to see what she sent to me then feel free to watch and, as always, I hope you enjoy ♡

xoxo - Cassie

benefit lemon aid: Swatches + Review!

I'm truly surprised that it has taken until now for me to write about this little compact with quite possibly the cutest name ever. This very "lemon aid" was one of the first things I purchased when I started devoting the majority of my paychecks to Sephora. The first thing I knew I needed (insert exaggerated guffaw here) was something to combat my under eye circles; I was near the end of my undergraduate studies and mornings spent in lectures, days spent in chem/bio labs, evenings reading and writing history papers for advanced classes I took 'for the fun of it' (throw in more guffaws here), and sleepless nights spent in the art building were definitely showing. 

So when my concealer (I think it was something from Clinique that I only bought because it was called an under eye concealer… you can laugh, I do too looking back on it) wasn't cutting it I decided to try a corrector. To this day I still love my lemon aid (beverage or cosmetic, now that I think about it) and figure it's about time I pimped it out here on my blog and give it the lovin' it deserves!

Now I know this is called an "eyelid primer", which apparently most people (at least from what I can tell looking at other reviews out in the beauty blogosphere) take to mean it's meant to be used on the top lid only. I personally can't even imagine using this on my upper lids because of how utterly creamy and crease-prone it is but hey whatever floats your boat. The place I use benefit's lemon aid is exclusively on my under eyes… which are also a part of your "eyelid", it's just your lower half and for whatever reason we don't call it as such (unless you're a bonafide eye doctor). 

Annoying english/language problems aside, this really does work a charm at concealing darkness under your eyes and is a treat paired with a sheer-ish concealer.

(click on the photo for a better look at lemon aid in action!)

Rumor also has it that some people use benefit's lemon aid on its own, and while that's all fine and good I also find it to be a little… cray (for lack of a better term). Unless your skin has a very heavy yellow undertone and/or is the exact same canary yellow shade as this product, it's going to be quite obvious that you smeared some corrector under your eyes that morning. However, you can see in the photos above that it really does a wonderful job of correcting darkness because of the thick, creamy, and pigmented formula. Grab your favorite semi-sheer concealer (I'm currently using the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles), slap in on top of lemon aid, blend it together and you're left with brighter looking eyes and the illusion of a good night's sleep!

Though unfortunately it also leaves you with some pretty prominent creasing.

Luckily enough I've found that the creasing caused by lemon aid (as well as the Maybelline concealer whose name I refuse to type out again) is easily erased with the swipe of a dense brush. I personally use the COVER FX #170 Precision Foundation Brush to do this. Yes it's a pricey brush but truly is worth the investment; I've had it for as long as I've had this lemon aid and have yet to see one hair shed, it's still extremely soft, and is just plain old wonderful all around for blending in tight areas of the face (eyes, nose, etc.).

This lucky fluff booger doesn't have to worry about dark circles… he gets plenty of zzz's in my lap throughout the day.

Have you tried benefit's lemon aid?
Love it? Hate it?
What are you currently using to combat under eye darkness?
Do share!!

xoxo - Cassie

NOTD: D.I.Y. Maybelline Color Show "Gilded Rose"

I've been on the hunt for the Spring 2014 L.E. Maybelline Color Tattoos (it's never gonna happen but I'll be damned if I go down without a fight) and each time, though I'm able to find the L.E. lipsticks, face powders, etc., my hunt proves fruitless. They are, as far as I'm concerned, going to remain beautiful unicorns to me (the inner sobs are real my friends) but alas it is what it is and I really don't need anymore makeup. That being said I don't need anymore nail polish either; the Maybelline Color Show "Gilded Rose" is ALWAYS next to the Maybelline L.E. displays though and nearly every time I see it I nab it and then force myself to put the beautiful bugger back.

Plus, who needs another nail polish when you can just make the darn thing yourself with a combo of polishes you already have? Ahhh~ there's the wonderful thrifty side of my brain hard at work; saving me dollars and regret one makeup/clothing/whatever item at a time!! 

Like said I don't actually own "Gilded Rose" so it's semi-impossible for me to say whether this is an exact dupe of it or not but, from a gander and comparison of swatches online, I think I truly nailed it (that pun has never been more appropriate). I think you could use any sort of an opaque shimmering gold as your base color but Revlon's "Sparkling" really did bring everything together and turned this into "Gilded Rose". "Sparkling" is one of my favorite glitter polishes (as I'm sure you can tell) even though it looks like a fairly boring pink top coat… I can assure you though: it's worth the purchase and goes well with so many other nail polishes!

Super pretty right?? I personally love the way this turned out and am surprised I didn't think of it on my own (I give myself far too much credit, haha) before being inspired by "Gilded Rose" on the drugstore shelves. It looks great out in the sun and is perfect for that 'Spring' mood I think we're all in… I know I'm more than ready for Winter to be over, that's for sure! Winter this year wouldn't be feeling so long and awful if it wasn't a constant ping pong match of mid 50's one day and then upper 20's the next. It's just confusing and makes planning anything (what to wear, how long the commute is going to take, should I not wear eye makeup because I know my eyes are going to be crying a river in the arctic wind, etc.) nearly impossible!

Blech/ahem/anyways.

Do you think I nailed this nail polish dupe?

Love it? Think it missed the mark?

Have you ever recreated a nail polish you saw in store?

Do share!

xoxo - Cassie

Weekly Outfits #36!

I just wanted to pop in quickly to let you all know there's a new OOTW video posted over on my YouTube channel! It's hot off the press as of a few (okay, maybe 20) minutes ago so feel free to head on over and watch it if you're in the mood for some funky music and ridiculously similar outfits (I never notice until I string these videos together how repetitive I can be in a week haha).

Happy Sunday everyone; I hope you're having a great weekend and are looking forward to a happy week ahead! 

Oh, and don't forget (if you live in the U.S.) to 'spring ahead' before you go to bed tonight for Daylight Saving Time… stinks to lose an hour but I'm glad to have the sun out a little later in the day again :)

xoxo - Cassie

NARS Lipstick "Dolce Vita": Swatches + Review!

Considering I placed this lipstick (spoiler alert!) at the top of my pyramid for last month's Best & Worst of Beauty video, I figured it was about freaking time I did a proper blog pimping of this beauty. I got it for Christmas last year in my "Sephora SUPERSTARS Beauty Must Haves" kit and, while I was excited to try a NARS lipstick for the very first time, I had no idea how in love with this sheer nude number I was about to fall. Surely it's how the creator(s) of a Reese's cup felt; they had a hunch that peanut butter and chocolate was going to taste good but had no idea how many arteries they were about to clog.

I know the first picture of this post is slightly misleading in terms of color but dayum the drama was too good to pass up; it would be like Beyonce calling you personally to invite you to her next concert and you telling her you already have plans for that night. CANCEL THOSE PLANS, FOOL. Cancel them quick and praise Beyzus from the front row.

Anyways.

NARS lipsticks are housed in the same velvety smooth, rubberized packaging that we all hate to love and love to hate. It feels so good in the hand but collects all of the dirt and cat hair. I personally think it looks so classy and enjoy whipping it out of my bag after lunch or what-have-you for touch ups; I'd be lying if I said I didn't peek out of the corner of my eyes to see if anyone notices (they don't). The formula stands up to the NARS name and feels absolutely luxurious to apply. It's a sheerer formula but still packs a punch with the pigmentation that it has and leaves your lips feeling silky and hydrated.

 

The color of "Dolce Vita" is something that surely shifts from face to face (and lip to lip for that matter) but in the tube it's just your stereotypical nude: a fairly equal mix of pink and brown. Regardless of how lackluster it looked to me initially though it shifted into the most beautiful peachy mauve once applied to my lips. I honestly don't think I'll ever find a nude lipstick as perfect as this!

Well, I suppose that's a semi-lie. NARS' "Dolce Vita" would be closer to perfect if it smelled a little better (it doesn't smell bad, don't get me wrong, but it's not exactly good either; thankfully the scent is something you have to shove your face into the bullet to catch wind of) and lasted a little longer. I'm sad to report that this only lasts 2-3 hours on me before it's nearly completely worn off. And while that leaves me many opportunities to whip out (show off) my fancy NARS lipstick tube to reapply, it means that overall I'm going to run out of this extremely quickly. With these going for $26 a pop it means I'm not exactly able (on my pathetic grad-student income/debt merry-go-round of a bank statement) to immediately dish out the minute this drops dead. 

It sure is pretty though… dammit.

Have you tried any NARS lipsticks?

Love 'em? Hate 'em?

What's your favorite/perfect nude lipstick?

Do share!!

xoxo - Cassie

Video Update: February Favorites & Empties!

Sorry I'm a little behind on posting my videos here to the blog but I figure it's better late than never, right? Right. I feel like I've been saying that a lot lately… 

probably not a good sign of the current state of my life; oofta.

Either way, if you haven't had the chance to watch my two most recent videos and are in the mood then feel free to check them out! As always they're embedded above or else you can click on over to my channel and spend some quality time with me there :)

xoxo - Cassie

Rimmel SCANDALEYES Waterproof Kohl Kajal: Swatches + Review!

For whatever reason, it took me until now to realize that wearing black liquid liner without using a black liner on my upper inner lash line (am I making any sense!?) was a terribly un-cute idea. The pale skin spaces peeking through liquid liner and lashes was more obvious than I allowed myself to immediately discern but oh well… better late than never, right? 

So I rushed out (well okay, I just made sure to look through the makeup isles the next time I found myself at Target) and nabbed the most hyped kohl liner from the drugstores that I knew of: the Rimmel SCANDALEYES Waterproof Kohl Kajal. And while I must say that this product has its pluses, the minuses far outweigh the aforementioned; one problem solved yet a new problem created? Not exactly a good tradeoff in my books.

First off, I've got to give this kohl pencil credit where it's very well deserved. 

For starters, the price really can't be beat. At only $3.97-$4.49 depending on sale location you're getting a celebrity-status (at least in the internet beauty realm) pencil for mere pennies compared to its competitors. Also, this pencil lives up to the hype in terms of dreamy creaminess. It applies effortlessly without the need to warm it up before hand; just uncap and go without fear of tugging or hurting the delicate skin on/around your eyes. More importantly though, this kohl pencil is actually black like its name claims. It's quite sad that that needs to be confirmed nowadays but, with many pencils on the market boasting the name "black" only to appear charcoal grey at best when applied to the skin, this is definitely one aspect of the SCANDALEYES Waterproof Kohl Kajal that Rimmel can truly brag about. 

As I'm sure you can tell by the photos above, this is where the review goes from good to bad. This eyeliner is absolutely not not NOT waterproof like it so proudly claims. I allowed those swatches on my hand to set for five minutes before lightly (I'm talking eyelash kisses light) running my dry finger across them. Yup… this smudging was without the addition of water. Curious to see what water does? Take a gander:

This is what happens every time I apply the Rimmel SCANDALEYES to my upper inner lash line. Within five or ten minutes you can already see a patchy transfer of it onto the waterline and within the first hour it will start to smudge down onto your lower lids (a scientific process that I'll never begin to understand; how does it get there!?). It's essentially just a big smudgy mess fest that takes you from crisp lined eyes to sad panda face in a matter of minutes. I'm not sure if this happens because of the ultra creamy formula or what but I can assure you it's not because I have oily lids like the above photo suggests; that's purely the elegant effect of flash photography in your dimly lit bathroom (gotta change that lightbulb…) because the sun has long since set for the day.

Yarg.

I'm not sure what I'm going to end up doing with my Rimmel SCANDALEYES Waterproof Kohl Kajal since I clearly can't use it on my inner lash/waterline and wouldn't even dream of putting it around my eyes as a liner because that'll likely go from lid to cheek in a matter of minutes. Oh well, like said it was a cheap buy so it wasn't too much money wasted but I'm still pretty upset that this kohl pencil didn't live up to the beauty blogosphere induced hype. I've got a feeling it's because I mainly only saw reviews of the nude version and thus people wouldn't notice it smudging… that's just a hypothesis though and I'm afraid I don't care enough about nude eyeliners to test it out.

Have you tried the Rimmel SCANDALEYES Waterproof Kohl Kajal?

Love it? Hate it?

What's your favorite black liner for the inner lash line that's actually waterproof?

Do share!!

xoxo - Cassie