Review: Benefit's Hervana

It's actually so appropriate that this blush is packaged with clouds and an angel's halo; it truly is a gods send blush! Hervana is absolutely brilliant and excuse me while I try to put into words just how amazing it is!

Benefit's Hervana blush. I'm not sure if it was marketed this way or I just heard it somewhere on YouTube or read on someone's blog but what I heard was "The blush for pale people..." Not even the BEST or it's GREAT for ... just THE best. And oh my ... whoever said that had probably never spoken truer words. It's a fantastic, natural pink-peach. It effortlessly blends into the skin and looks beautiful wether it's sheered out or not. Hervana has been my go to blush since the day I bought it! It makes me look fresh and well rested which is something I don't normally hear about a blush! A good dupe for this blush is MACs Well Dressed although I think that one has a little more pink to it! 

The swatch above to the left is a layered swatch of all the colors swirled and then the one on the right is the blush blended out with the brush it comes with! This really is a fabulous blush for pale people! It's light so I don't know how it would appear on darker skin tones but this blush is a dream so I would definitely recommend it!

Gossip Girl Birchbox

Beauty boxes seem to be popping up everywhere nowadays. For good reason too, I'm guessing! You pay $10 a month to get samples of beauty products that you'd probably never think to try unless it came packaged this way! Birchbox is one of the more popular ones, or at least the one you hear talked about the most through the beauty community. I've always been skeptical about signing up because you'd hear wishy washy things about the quality of the things that came in your box. Birchbox seems to be picking things up though and I've heard only positive things!

I've been torn with getting a subscription just because I sort of spent a fortune at IMATS and was wondering if $10 was really worth spending. Today I got an e-mail from Birchbox announcing their May Birchbox which is going to be Gossip Girl themed. I remember hearing how much of a success the Teen Vogue Birchbox was and knew that if I were ever going to try out a box would have to be now! I've been really into Gossip Girl as of late (it's on Netflix instant and I cannot stop watching it!) so this box almost seems like a sign that it's time to subscribe to a beauty box! 

I'm not sure if the one I'll be getting will be the Gossip Girl box though because my signing up was sort of strange. I e-mailed the customer service team and will hopefully hear back from them soon! Regardless I'm really looking forward to receiving my first Birchbox!

Are any of you guys subscribed to a beauty box? Which ones are you faves? Are you looking forward to this Gossip Girl box as much as I am? :)

Review: Sephora Collection Mermaid to Order

Have any of you ever bought a product because you were so in love with the name? Regardless of if you were ever going to use it or not? Well this polish was one of those for me. The name of this Sephora by O.P.I. nail lacquer is Mermaid to Order. I love anything to do with mermaids so I was sold on this before even seeing the swatch. Although the name does do it a lot of justice.

with flash

Mermaid to Order is a gorgeous metallic, predominantly blue, based teal. In the bottle there's almost a duo chrome of green to it that reminds you of the sea right before night falls. The consistency is like most of the O.P.I. nail lacquers that I have tried which is really good. Two coats will get it to a nice opaque and shimmering color. It really does look like scales of a mermaids tail!

without flash

The only thing that I can see being of an issue for some is that this nail polish does streak. But this color is truly beautiful for the summertime and looks especially amazing in the sunlight!

Review: NARS Mediterranee

NARS eyeshadow duos are notorious for either being a total hit or a total miss. My take on this is that you've got to LOVE both colors or it's going to seem like it has fallen short. I have blue eyes and I know that what compliments blue is orange. Since oranges and corals are in, I've been dying to find an brilliant orange that I'd want to wear forever. Originally I had planned on looking at MAC Rule or MAC Orange but the orange in this duo caught my eye before I even got the chance to look at the former. 

I had only swatched the Orange when I knew I had to have it. The NARS duos retail for $34 dollars which isn't a steal, but it's not a total bust. The NARS Mediterranee duo comes with a very light, almost  peachy, shimmering orange and then a true, albeit slightly on the deeper side, orange. The color pay off of the lighter shade is slightly sheer, while the orange shade swatches like a charm. I can honestly tell you guys that I was about to buy this duo (the $34) without even looking at the other shade. But these two colors can be paired so well together and with other colors that I'm glad I gave it a glance ;) The few times I've used the duo together I put the lighter shade on 3/4 of the lid and then the orange shade on the outer V and a little in the crease. It's subtle and effortless. It's a very fresh, summery look that I think would look great on anyone. These colors really blend well and I think this is one of those knock out duos that NARS has created.

If you've got baby blues or are just loving the orange/coral trend, I'd highly recommend you give this duo a try!

Retail Therapy: NYC IMATS 2012

Walking into IMATS, for any beauty enthusiast (professionals and amateurs alike), is like walking into a candy store. All of the various companies set up so nicely ready for you to 'ooh' and 'ahh' at their latest and greatest. They pull you in with colors set out so you can go forth and play. I was no exception to this clever trap.

I'd like to think that I picked up a nice amount of things at IMATS; nothing more than what I came there to get. But I can assure you all that next year my wallet with loathe me.

NYC IMATS Haul

Naked pigments

IMATS

1. NYX Cosmetics
• 4 single panned eyeshadows (Light Green, Lanikai, Hot Pink, and Lagoon Sparkle)
• Cream blush in Glow
• Powder blush in Terra Cotta
• Aqua Shimmer eye liner
• Roll on Shimmer Green
2. Kandy Cosmetics
• Liquid Sugar
• 3 eye glitters (Chiclet, Tiny Tart, and Peach Fizz)
3. Naked Cosmetics
• Tropical pigment stack

This entire haul set me back about $100 which is CAH-RAZY considering I was ready to spend about $300. The prices were insanely low and I know, knowing that, I will go insane next time. I'll be sure to review and swatch them as I begin to use them! 

Retail Therapy: Sephora & M.A.C.

In celebration before the day of IMATS my friend Julia and I decided to break in our wallets and shop around the city. What we should have probably been doing is breaking in our shoes. I still can't feel my feet. We went to Sephora and M.A.C. to get things we thought would be essential and something we couldn't get at IMATS. Here's what I walked away with.

Sephora

• Benefit Watt's Up
• Benefit Hervana
• Nars Eyeshadow Duo (Mediterranee)
• Sephora Collection Eyelash Curler (Aquamarine)

M.A.C.

• 4 Eyeshadows in: Arena, Sumptuous Olive, Satin Taupe, and Cranberry
• M.A.C. Wipes (30 pack)
• Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer (NW15)

NYC IMATS 2012

I heard about IMATS through my best internet bud Julia. We both like to obsess over very similar things and one day she asked if I knew what IMATS was. All I could think was that it was some sort of brush company, but soon discover the majesty of what IMATS truly is.

IMATS: International Make-up Artistry Trade Show

Although I’m sure many of you already know, it’s a convention for those who want to appreciate the artistry of make-up and also drop a dime on some great discounted finds on some favorite make-up brands. 

Julia and I went together and it was the most magical day of my life. Almost as magical as Disney, but there were no characters walking around. Just well dressed people with absolutely brilliant make-up. We got there pretty early, around 9:15 am, and it was slightly packed. Trying to get a swatch of any NYX blushes was a trek in itself. There was so much to ogle at and so much to swatch! My arm is still stained from the various cream blushes and eyeliners I had played around with. 

INGLOT was just the craziest booth that I had seen that day. Okay, I’m a little biased because I did have to wait an hour and 15 minutes to get jumbled service and ended up walking away with nothing. I’m happy to report that the show did redeem itself. The Naked Cosmetics booth was amazing. The pigments are seriously to DIE for! I can see why xsparkage adores them and owns every stack! 

Things started to pick up (and by that I mean the lines) around noon when all the youtube beauty gurus had arrived and everyone was flocking to meet them. Julia and I were excited to know they were there (she screamed “I LOVE YOU” to Fleur and then ran away, hahaha!) but we were just SO exhausted that our energy level completely crashed and we left after having just glanced at every booth. 

We walked away with pretty decent hauls and I’ll be sure to post here what I got as well as swatch and review them as well! Don’t know too many people with my skin tone who swatch, so if you’re severely pale, welcome! I think you’re going to like it here!

All in all, I would say that IMATS, as my first ever IMATS, was a success. I didn’t overspend and I didn’t feel like I walked away without getting everything I would want. I also came away with a lot of tips for next time to make it more enjoyable and not as strenuous!

If anyone went hope you had a great time! Can’t wait till next year ;)

I am not a make up artist by any means.

Bon soir! I am Jessica. Notorious YouTube beauty guru watcher and a frequent make-up swatcher. My fascination with the world of make-up grows more and more each day as I discover new products, new colors, new textures, and new ways of being artistic every day. 

The name says it all: Faux Guru. Literally translating into “fake” guru. I’d like to take that and have it mean “not a guru” because I’m not. I’m an 18 (soon to be 19) year old girl with a growing interest in the world of make-up and its artistry. 

Swatches, reviews, and some of my favorite beauty finds are sure to come. Care to join?