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Some little things..

I recently purchased a few things I just wanted to share with you guys, and let you know my thoughts.. Firstly, my hair is on the fine side so I try not to wash it every day to preserve some volume and body, hence my need for dry-shampoo. A friend recently recommended the Umberto Beverly Hills Dry Clean Shampoo and for only like $9 I figured it was worth a shot.
I will warn you dark-haired beauties like myself, this product does come out on the lighter side. But I found with brushing it through with a lightly dampened comb gets rid of the whiteness and doesn't leave my hair looking dull. So far, I like this product a lot. It really does the trick in making my hair look, feel and smell clean, even though it's not. It also doesn't feel heavy or sticky in my hair like some dry shampoos do. I got this at Target for those interested.

 Next up I made my monthly (ha, at least) stop to Ulta and grabbed some NYX products that were buy one get one half price. These are just the lippies I grabbed. From Left to right the swatches are Soft Matte Lip Creme in Stockholm, Mega Shine Lipgloss in Plush Red and Sweet Heart, and NYX Lipliner Pencil in Nude Beige and Natural.
 
 Here are some swatches without flash on the right, and with flash, left. The colors are all really nice of these products but I am not CRAZY about any of them to be honest. I love love love how the Matte Lipcream looks on my skin and it makes my lips velvety smooth, but the wear time is really short and it smudges around a lot. The lipgloss in Plush Red is probably my favorite, I wear it over the top of red lined lips or red lipsticks, makes it really pop. The lipgloss in Sweet Heart is a nice nude color but has a bit of frost that I am not too fond of, but nothing that is extremely noticeable. These glosses have an amazing scent, like smarties or something! The liners also work pretty well, but I feel as though my MAC lip liners apply a bit easier without pressing hard.

 My boyfriend and I went to Toronto last weekend to celebrate our 3rd anniversary! These were some amazing fashion books I found in this really cute bookstore while we were up there. And lastly, I 'll leave you with a doodle I did at work of my friend Sydney. Check out her blog! http://stellakittyflorence.blogspot.com

xox- Chelsea

Killer Shoes





 Can I have them ? Please? I promise I'll look like a bad-ass while wearing them. A Mia Wallace-babydoll-seductress. The Gilda shoe by Lauren Marinis in Burgundy Suede, $250.


Urban Decay Book of Shadows III

Just kidding!!! This is the Book of Shadows Vol. III Redux palette, it is only like a bit over a year old I believe and is limited edition. The colors are still amazing nonetheless. And I got it for a really reasonable price, of $35 at Ulta, so it was worth it to me. My Naked/Naked 2 palettes are literally holy grail can't live without them items so I know these colors will live up to the quality of other Urban Decay products. I am glad to have expanded my palette though, I don't have too many crazy shades outside of neutrals. When you break it down, each individual UD eyeshadow normally retails for $18 a pan! This set came with 16 colors for a fraction of that price, as well as a travel size Primer Potion and a black 24/7 Glide on Pencil, also worth $19. Anyway- here are the photos.










Left to Right: 
Oil Slick- smoky black with powdery consistency, quite a lot of fallout and medium pigmentation, good for layering. Fine glitter finish. Not truly dark black.
Uzi- My least favorite of the bunch. Extremely glittery which leads to lots of fallout, not very white as it looks in the pan, more of sheer glitter. Maybe would look good over other colors. Pretty sure it's discontinued now anyway.
Stray Dog- a really rich and smooth taupe color, very light shimmer, subtle pinkish undertones.
Mildew- nicely textured, shimmery moss colour. Hint of golden undertone, very wearable.

Midnight Cowboy Rides Again- large glitter, large fallout. Slightly similar to Stila Kitten but with way more shimmer. Perhaps would apply better wet. Still a pretty beige/champagne color.
SWF- extremely pigmented, cool frosted pink. Shimmer is pretty noticeable, smooth texture.
Last Call- a rich, bold plum color with great payoff. Red undertones, buttery consistency.
Rockstar- "Deep Aubergine", a dark, smoky purple with reddish shimmer undertones and good dimension.



Left to Right: 
Haight- a frosted bluish-teal, on the murky side, with medium pigmentation. Gorgeous color.
Maui Wowie- a khaki/goldish shde with silvery-gold shimmer, reminds me of bubbly champagne! Beware fallout though, seems like a glitterbomb.
Aquarius- a buttery, frosted, pale aqua/greenish color with beautiful payoff. Something a water nymph would wear.
Smog- little fallout, pigmented and metallic, nice cocktail of bronze, gold and brown.

Goddess- quite pigmented but chalky texture, a dark, shimmery, midnight blue. Would probably use wet, and not without primer.
Sin- silky formulation and blends amazing. Good to use as hilighter, or even base color. Shimmery nude with pink.
YDK- a cocoa, silvery taupe, smooth texture, glitter/shimmer with a cool tone.
Ecstacy- moderate pigmentation, definitely buildable. An iridescent and vibrant violet with pink undertones.

Wildfox Resort 12/13

They've done it again! Wildfox is constantly inspiring me as well as my artwork. Their shoots are always so amazing. Check this one out, Granny's Closet.... makes me wana look like an old little cat lady everyday. Or wait, do I already?










i mean who knew long silver grey locks could look so chic? i will forever faithfully continue wearing my baby pink lips into the fall and winter and infinity and beyond no matter what colors are in for the season and i also solemnly swear to learn how to knit. BOOM. On another note, we're in the midst of a mercury retrograde! Make the most of this cosmic period and take advantage of the positive side. It's a chance to look over your current life and revise it, revamp our connection with reality. Check out Audrey Kitching's advice for surviving and taking advantage of this opportunity! Alphalifetrends.com describes it as "Mercury itself rules how we think, we will be adjusting everything related to thoughts, concepts, ideas, and communication, especially how technology and material elements play a part in the physical manifestation of ideas." The mercury retrograde can be viewed as a "re-routing" of our lives, picture like a GPS, when you go off course, it re-routes you to your destined path, even if you do not know which way you are heading or the path ahead, you end up where you're meant to be. Amazing.
On a materialistic note, my microlink extensions have been ordered and hopefully will arrive and be installed by next week! I will definitely be reviewing them and giving my first impressions. Wish me luck. xx

Boots Haul from Ireland!

So basically, I have the best mother in the world and she brought me back some goodies from Boots during her trip to Ireland! I thought I would share with you all what they are, and my first impressions.

Firsty were these 5 ModelsOwn nail polishes! What an array of color she got me. I have only used the pink one so far but I can't wait to try out the others soon! In order from left to right they are Pastel Pink NP033, Snowflakes NP145, Purple Imperial NP131, Dancing Queen NP142, and lastly a hedkandi one in Hedonist HK05! What are your favorite colors of ModelsOwn polishes?
And some stuff from Soap & Glory! Now I know Sephora sells the body care line here in the US but it is significantly more expensive, and we don't have any of the cosmetics! I've really been wanting to try these products out since I've seen so many of you UK bloggers like milkteef and I think beautycrush mention them! The Pulp Friction body scrub smells delish and really foams up in the shower! I love exfoliating things so this was really a nice first experience with the shower scrubs.
SMOOCH OPERATOR Lip Butter is literally amazing. This is a nicely packaged lip butter with a smooth application and a phenomenal smell! It smells like coconuts and a tropical shower and like, vacation all in just one whiff. It isn't sticky, but remains on for a good period of time. Doesn't taste bad either! The flavor on the box says "Coconut Ice", and it contains wild mango, vitamin E & argan oil to really moisturize and protect your dry lips.
This GLOW JOB moisturizer is pretty amazing. It comes out of the bottle as a white lotion with tiny little beads in it. Once you begin massaging it into your face, the beads break into little bronzing spurts! You have to be careful to rub it in really thoroughly or you will end up with a brown streak on your skin, but it's still easily blended in even as an afterthought. For me, who has naturally pretty pale and freckled skin, this moisturizer is great so far! It gives me a nice glow without looking orange, and a good base for before I apply my makeup. The moisture level is light-weight so it does the trick fixing up my dry spots but doesn't feel heavy on my skin.

Lastly this KICK ASS CONCEALER was given to me! It has a 3 step packaging which is really clever and gorgeous if you ask me. My eyes would obviously be attracted to this in the shop.
Step one and two are the under-eye brightening concealer and Superwear face concealer, which are sealed lastly with step three,  Insta-fix sealing powder. I used this product on a cheek blemish this morning and it still is nicely covered about 4 hours later.. the concealers take a bit more careful blending than I need to do with my Lorac or Rimmel concealers, but the result is nice in the end.

So yes, thanks mom! Overall, I am super happy with these gifts and my first impressions. Any products from the UK or Europe you recommend?? *All these products were purchased by my mother for my personal use with no influence from the companies*

Nail of the Day! Pastel Pink



Here's today's nail of the day! My mom brought me back a few MODELSOWN nail polishes from Ireland as we don't have them anywhere here in NY as far as I know! I think they sold at U.O. for a little while but I haven't been able to find them in my area.. anyway! The first one I decided to try out was called Pastel Pink NP033. The color reminds me of Barbie or Nicki Minaj! It's so vibrant and pretty. It did require two coats to get the full coverage of color, but I normally do two anyway so I didn't mind. Now I know this isn't really a fall color but I don't care because it will brighten up my neutral/dark wardrobe. I'll update this post later in the week with details of it's wear time. The one thing that was strange to me was how strong the smell of nail varnish chemicals was. Way stronger than any polish I've used thus far. But again, not much of a problem for me.


Skin: Smashbox Photo Finish Primer
L'Oreal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer
Revlon ColorStay Foundation in 240 Medium Beige
Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer in Light
Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
MAC The Perfect Cheek blush
Eyes: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe
Urban Decay Naked 2 palette colors Foxy & Tease
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in 604 Milk
Lancome Le Crayon Poudre in Taupe (brows)
Kat Von D Autograph Eyeliner in Puro Amor
Ardell Lashes
Lips: NYX Lip Smacking Fun Colors in Pumpkin Pie 630
Soap & Glory Smooch Operator Lip Butter

Just Ride


i was in the winter of my life, and the men i met along the road were my only summer. at night i fell asleep with visions of myself dancing and laughing and crying with them. three years down the line of being on an endless world tour, and my memories of them were the only things that sustained me, and my only real happy times. i was a singer, not a very popular one. i once had dreams of becoming a beautiful poet, but upon an unfortunate series of events saw those dreams dashed and divided like a million stars in the night sky that i wished on over and over again, sparkling and broken. but i didn’t really mind because i knew that it takes getting everything you ever wanted and then losing it to know what true freedom is.
when the people i used to know found out what i had been doing, how i had been living, they asked me why. but there’s no use in talking to people who have a home. they have no idea what its like to seek safety in other people, for home to be wherever you lay your head.
i was always an unusual girl. my mother told me i had a chameleon soul. no moral compass pointing due north, no fixed personality. just an inner indecisiveness that was as wide and as wavering as the ocean. and if i said i didn’t plan for it to turn out this way i’d be lying, because i was born to be the other woman. i belonged to no one, who belonged to everyone. who had nothing, who wanted everything, with a fire for every experience and an obsession for freedom that terrified me to the point that i couldn’t even talk about it, and pushed me to a nomadic point of madness that both dazzled and dizzied me.
every night i used to pray that i’d find my people. and finally i did, on the open road. we had nothing to lose, nothing to gain, nothing we desired anymore, except to make our lives into a work of art. live fast - die young - be wild - and have fun.
i believe in the country america used to be. i believe in the person i want to become. i believe in the freedom of the open road. and that motto is the same as ever. “i believe in the kindness of strangers, and when i’m at war with myself, i ride, i just ride.”
who are you? are you in touch with all your darkest fantasies? have you created a life for yourself where you can experience them? i have. i am fucking crazy. but i. am. free.



 

 

My Week in Photos!!!


So here's a little update on my life this past week! I went to Oktoberfest for a night with a group of my friends for some fall fun and drinks. Here I am with my fabulous man Mitch and some of our pre-party cocktail choices. Cory (my boyfriend) and I decided to carve a pumpkin a bit early in the season.... but we really wanted the seeds! It was a lot of fun, and we made it into THE COON!! Southpark fans, anyone? Next up is a little sketch I did while watching The Vampire Diaries premiere!! (Also watched The Walking Dead premiere this week, and the new Dexter episode. Would anyone be interested in my thoughts on different series new episodes? I react quite outwardly on twitter about new eps! ) Perhaps I will start doing some posts.. Anyway, aren't those little rings so cute! Both of them were a total of $2.80 at Forever 21! Me wearing Charmed, I'm Sure MACxMarilyn collection lipstick, and a cute Popeye/Olive Oil shirt! Cory joined my family and I to go to the chilli fest sunday and there was a free photobooth we took silly pictures in, it was cute and fun but he HATES pictures, haha. Then we took our pitt Molson to the park where he practiced his dancing! He just can jump, like, really high. So yep, there's the fun parts of my week.. none of that stuff about WORK :( which I seem to be doing so much  of!! I need to crack down on getting some money saved up though... which means less hauling. Oh well. You can follow me on instagram @harlotstarlet