Friday Faves Vol. 29

This dreamy, all-pink cabana!

This confusing-in-a-good-way bread that looks like watermelon!

This adorable corgi butt pillow!

Etsy Shop of the Month: Hurra

90s Hand Drawn Sticker Pack #2

Mmmmm, the sweet smell of nostalgia. That's the scent wafting off Hurra's etsy shop - a warm, cozy base with top notes of pizza and ALF. This shop takes you right back to your youth (or, for those on the 90s trend for the first time, your fantasy youth) with hand drawn illustrations of the decade's finest, from Cher Horowitz to Dawson Leery to Mrs. Doubtfire.

Modern culture reigns supreme here too, with avocado, pizza and Beyonce as far as the eye can see. Each person or thing produced from Hurra's pen becomes a stylized fantasy version of itself, all bright colors and kitschy winks. Their diverse sticker packs are just waiting to be stuck on your notebooks and laptops, and their t-shirts are perfect for those "oh, this old thing?" moments at trivia night.

Lipstick Sticker Pack

Avocado T-Shirt

Friday Faves Vol. 23

This overwhelmingly adorable dog named Squid!

This beauuuuutiful highlighter from Too Faced!

These yummy looking chocolate peanut butter cup cookies!

2018 Sephora Birthday Gift (psst...it's free!)

A major perk of having my birthday in January is being among the first to receive the free annual Sephora Birthday Gift. It almost makes up for the fact that I can count the number of birthday parties I've cancelled due to snow on more than one hand. Almost. Inclement weather aside, my January was certainly brightened by this gorgeous gift. As usual, Sephora is offering two options for your birthday gift selection:

The best birthday email in your inbox

Friday Faves Vol. 12

 

This embroidered Kirk Van Houten 'Can I Borrow a Feeling?' patch!

This airy & gorgeous white/black/teal kitchen!

The beautiful Storm King Art Center, an outdoor sculpture garden in New York!

This story on Nathan for You's Nathan Fielder...this show's the best and it's coming back this month!

This incredible collection of gifs that show idyllic 1960s resorts then and now.

This countdown of the greatest movie props of all time, from the Hoverboard to that plastic bag. 

This photo collection of impeccably dressed bunnies!

This drool-worthy sheet pan dinner of crispy gnocchi & veggies!

This list of places to get inexpensive, modern furniture (that aren't Ikea)!

This Ciate Glitter Flip liquid lipstick!

What cool stuff have you seen lately?

The Amazing $5 Liquid Lipstick You're Not Wearing - And Why You Should Be

Wet n Wild Liquid Catsuit Matte Lipstick

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who see the words 'liquid lipstick' and think of the chic matte finish and long-wearing ease, and those who see the words 'liquid lipstick' and run for the hills, all screams and finger crosses, swearing off the product like they've seen a demonic possession.

I get the hesitation - liquid lipsticks can be dry as hell, hard to apply and uncomfortable to wear. I've tried a few that left my lips in a virtual vice that no makeup remover short of straight oil could remove, so I feel your pain. 

That said, some liquid lipsticks are just as comfortable as traditional bullet lipsticks (and let's be real, nothing is as comfortable as a great lip balm) and give you hours of steadfast wear without the need to check for touchups in your butter knife, like some cliche lady in a rom-com. If you're gonna act like a cliche lady in a rom-com, at least do something cool like a shopping montage - preferably on someone else's dime. 

If you're willing to try a liquid lip and love a true matte finish, you simply have to grab a Wet n Wild Liquid Catsuit. Maybe two. Maybe six. I can't say; I don't know your journey.

Here are five reasons why you need Liquid Catsuit:

a. These things are cheap! Five bucks a pop (less with constant drugstore sales!) means you can impulse buy without regret.

b. These things are great! Because cheap means nothing if the product sucks. They go on smooth and opaque and dry down to a truly matte finish.

c. These things last! I could easily get a day's worth of wear on one application, aside from that pesky business of eating and drinking, which will impair the wear. Since it dries down after application, you're not going to get a ton of, say, transfer to your coffee mug, but if you go hard on a sandwich - and by all means, go hard on a sandwich - you're going to lose some of that lippie.

d. These things are comfortable! Remember those lip vices I mentioned earlier? Not these, baby! A super matte finish usually comes at a cost, but I wear these all day without really feeling them. They feel no worse than any traditional lipstick to me. I'd compare them most closely to NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream, but these are still a bit more comfortable. 

e. These things look cool! Okay, this is shallow, but the packaging is very sleek - a thicker, shorter acrylic tube with a very secure click to close. Plus, a feline lady character leaning on the logo. Not necessary, but it doesn't hurt.

Wet n Wild Liquid Catsuit Swatches in (L to R) Rebel Rose, Berry Recognize, Missy and Fierce

Wet n Wild Liquid Catsuit on Lips in (L to R) Rebel Rose, Berry Recognize, Missy and Fierce

Interested? I thought so. I mean, it's called Liquid Catsuit, a name so over-the-top-ridiculous, that it swings back around to being kind of awesome. Liquid - yes, catsuit - I guess? Well, no, what am I saying? NO. This is not a catsuit of any kind, if that wasn't made clear by the fact that it's a tube of lipstick. Allow for this one potential flaw in the product and I think you'll still be happy. 

Liquid Catsuit comes in 13 shades, from nude to vampy. Check out these swatches:

Have you ever tried these? What's your favorite lip color?

Top 10 Red Lipsticks for Valentine's Day

...or any day, really, because red lipstick is appropriate for any situation. You might be thinking 'who needs ten red lipsticks?' and I'll tell you right away that your instincts are correct - you actually need way more than ten. Kidding! Kind of. Judging from this selection, I obviously have some kind of lipstick-shaped hole in my soul that I'm trying to fill, but you might find yourself with just one classic, made-for-you red in your collection, and that's totally cool too. Also, what's self restraint like? 

From lightest to darkest, here are my top 10 red lipsticks for Valentine's Day!

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Morocco

Mmmm, I love a Soft Matte Lip Cream! Smells like a vanilla cupcake dream, goes on smooth and opaque, and wears light as a feather. This is a perfect warm toned red with a great orange tint that's super bold, but still easy to wear.

Colourpop Ultra Matte Lip in Succulent

This shade is a perfect coral-red that manages to be both bright and muted at the same time. You get a true matte finish (and the dryness to match) and the wear is pretty good too. The color is the best part, though, and I've yet to find something else quite the same as this unique shade.

Wet n Wild Lipstick in Purty Persimmon

Wet n Wild Meglast lipsticks are the old faithfuls of the drugstore - they're less than two bucks, super comfortable to wear, come in a large range of great colors and stay put for hours. Purty Persimmon is a lovely orange-red shade that I always get excited to pop on. This is the lipstick that showed me I like warm toned reds too!

Revlon Lipstick in Fire & Ice

A serious classic! This shade is from the olden days of lipstick, basically, and there's a reason it has stood the test of time - it's gorgeous! Such a lovely color that tends to skew warm toned, but somehow seems to work on everyone I've ever seen wear it? You need this.

Rimmel Provocalips in Kiss Me You Fool

I don't know how many more ways I can say this: I'M IN LOVE WITH RIMMEL PROVOCALIPS. Sorry for shouting, but if you still haven't tried these, I don't know what I can do with you. They're the best, last forever, the end. This is the bright cherry red from the range, and I'm telling you - if you need an all day red lip that you can eat pizza and, like, brush your teeth in, this is that red.

MAC Lipstick in Russian Red

There's just something about a smooth tube of MAC lipstick! This is my favorite red from the brand, but I know that's a hot button issue. Are you a Ruby Woo gal? Okay, let's take this outside! JK, don't hit me plz. The cool toned Russian Red has my heart (bringing in this theme nicely!) but honestly all MAC reds are iconic for a reason!

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella

I didn't know this would change my red lipstick life, but it kinda did! Among literally every red I wear, this is the one that, when I slip it on, looks the smoothest, prettiest and just all around Photoshopped-on-my-lips-est. It's matte, but not too matte and I never even feel it on my lips. It's a great neutral to cool-leaning red that applies like a dream and treats your lips right.

Revlon Matte Balm in Standout

This one is a sleeper hit! It's very similar to MAC Russian Red, with a cool toned hue and matte finish, but it also has a moisturizing quality, complete with minty zing, that you're not going to find in most other lipsticks. I struggle getting a crisp line with it, but it applies so easily and feels so comfortable it's kinda worth it.

Rimmel Provocalips in Play With Fire

See above, and approximately 1,009,342 other blog posts to see how much I love Provocalips. This is a deeper, more cool toned red from the range and I love it just as much as the other red shade. I tend to pull this out for a more dramatic look, but you'd be good with whichever red you like more. Let Provocalips change your life!

Maybelline Lipstick in Smoking Red

Yass, a deep red that goes on opaque in one swipe! You've really done it, Maybelline. I can't tell you how many times in my life I've bought and tossed so called 'black cherry' lipsticks when they go on patchy and pathetic. This is a bit lighter than those shades, but it does the job of coloring my lips evenly. Luckily, it also feels comfortable and lasts, keeping me coming back swipe after swipe.

Red Lipstick Swatches

See? Duh, they're all v. different, thank you.

What's your favorite red lip color? Have you tried any of these? Wanna fight me over the top MAC red lipstick?

BEAUTY: Sephora Birthday Gift 2017

"It's the most wonderful tiiiiime of the year..." No, not Christmas, you fool - free Sephora birthday gift time! This year, Sephora Beauty Insiders (you just have to sign up!) choose from two options: a blush and liquid lipstick set from Tarte or a moisturizer - errr, "creme sorbet" - and serum set from Caudalie.

I chose the makeup set. Duh. What it includes:

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Paaarty {0.05 oz}

Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in Birthday Suit {0.034 fl oz}

Some festive fine print.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Paaarty (L) and Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in Birthday Suit (R)

As is typical of the free Sephora birthday gift, these items come in very neutral shades that almost anyone with any skin tone would probably be able to use. Even though they are simple rather than wild shades, I do find both of these items very pretty and I'll definitely be using them.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Paaarty

Of all makeup items to receive in a mini size, blush is probably the best because a full size blush lasts approximately 12,000 years according to my experience. Seriously, though - it just never runs out! Even though this one is smaller, I'm sure I could use it daily for quite some time.

I'm very picky about blush colors, and I was pleased to see Paaarty is right up my alley - my alley being anything this isn't too pink. It has a matte finish, with not a hint of sheen or glitter. 

The shade is a dusty rose with a hint of orange. It's about as close to neutral undertones as it gets; at first I was positive I saw a cool toned rose, but then couldn't deny the inherent bronze-ness.

The formula is butter soft and picks up nicely in both the swatch AND on a blush brush. You know how some powder makeup looks amazing when you run your finger through it, but ends up weak when you apply it with a brush? This doesn't do that.

Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in Birthday Suit

This little tube is adorable! It's the perfect size to slip in your pocket or bag, but it also feels like I'll get a decent amount of use out of it, too. It has an ever so slightly angled doe foot applicator, which works nice to apply this mousse-like formula. It is opaque in one coat.

As far as I can sniff, there is no discernible scent and the packaging is plastic with gold accents.

The shade - oh, the shade! For me, this is a perfect cool toned nude lip color. The perfect nude varies person to person, but I'm always hunting for almost purple-y pink-browns, and this shade delivers on that spotlessly. Even if this isn't your nude, it could still be a great neutral option for you.

I found this extremely comfortable to wear, despite the matte dry down. It almost felt like a regular lipstick, but resisted transfer during a kiss test. It didn't stand up to eating like I would've liked, though nothing besides Rimmel Provocalips ever has for me, but it stays put nicely otherwise.

Swatch of Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Paaarty (top) & Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in Birthday Suit

I'm a Tartelette, apparently.

The Verdict: This is a great set for travel or everyday use, and if you have the opportunity to pop into a Sephora this year, I'd definitely recommend picking them up for free. You deserve it, birthday girl. 

Will you be getting this free birthday gift from Sephora? What is your perfect nude lip color? Are you more of a matte or glittery blush person?