Field Photo Op | Video Stills

     Hey ya'll! As you may have seen or heard... I got engaged! Trevor did have photographers at our engagement (see the previous post to view some of the shots), but we also wanted to get our own photos in a field we like to visit for sunsets! We are not big posers, so our best chance at getting semi-cute photos was to sit his camera on a tripod and let it roll! We were able to play it back on his computer and screen shot some stills. Want to see them? Want no more! Here they are!

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored & all opinions are my own!

Surprise! I Got Engaged!

     You read that right... I got engaged! On Monday, March 5 I thought I was going to a surprise birthday dinner with Trevor's nieces. We were all going to meet up at Hendrick's Park for a bit and then head over to Izumi for some sushi. We arrived and Trevor (my then boyfriend) took me down a path and right into a beautiful scene. He had his nieces, Brittani and Catherine, set it all up with the help of Catherine's best friend, Josh. Photographers captured the moment and I am more than happy to share it all with you.

     Trevor proposed at Hendrick's Park in Eugene, Oregon. It was a quiet place with lots of greenery and I could not have imagined it happening anywhere else. As for my ring... I did choose it months and months ago because marriage is something we have spoken about! It is a rose gold band holding 36 small diamonds and a large centered white moonstone, which occasionally picks up a pink hue from the band. It is near and dear to my heart and I am obsessed!  Side note... props to Trevor, my now fiancé, for tricking me into thinking we were getting dinner. There were actually zero plans to eat afterwards, but I waited all day for the sushi dinner... so we still ended up going (just incase any fellow foodies were worried)!



Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored & all opinions are my own!

Beauty Battle: The Maybelline Show Down

      Dewy + Smooth or Matte + Poreless? That is what we are here to chat about! Let me start by saying I have owned the Maybelline Matte + Poreless foundation for quite awhile now and it is a seriously good foundation. I have my random skin troubles that affect how my foundation wears, but that never stops me from grabbing this one because it is just... it is just so damn good, ya'll! The Matte + Poreless is geared for normal to oily skin, and as someone who has combination/acne-prone skin, I can say this foundation is not too matte and it does not break me out! All good news. So! Lets get into this show down, shall we?

Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless:
- For normal or oily skin
- 40 shades
- Lightweight
- Pore minimizing
- Mattifies and refines pores
- Features micro-powders to control shine and blur pores
- Leaves a natural, seamless finish
- Dermatologist tested, allergy tested, non-comedogenic

Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth:
- For normal to dry skin
- 16 shades
- Hydrates and smoothes skin texture
- Maybelline's smoothing concentrate hydrates rough patches
- Protects with SPF 18
- Luminous finish
- Dermatologist tested, allergy tested, non-comedogenic, fragrance-free

     I have both the Matte + Poreless and the Dewy + Smooth in the shade 110 Porcelain. Unfortunately, the same shade in the two different foundations are not a match. The Matte + Poreless is a fair shade with a neutral-yellow undertone. I have pink undertones but this particular shade still works for me! As for the Dewy + Smooth, the shade 110 Porcelain is darker and has an orange undertone to it on my skin. So, one bummer is that the shades between the two foundations are not alike... so if you are looking to grab the opposite foundation, you will need to go to a store to find your color match!

     That is just one negative, but focusing on the positives... they are both lightweight and comfortable! Lately, I have been more into BB Creams and luminous foundations simply because I always set my entire face with a powder and I think it looks more flattering when done over a dewy foundation. Personally, I feel Maybelline is one of thee best drug store brands... so if I can find my right shade in the Dewy + Smooth... I think we have my winner regardless of my combination/acne-prone skin type!

[Top: Dewy, Bottom: Matte ...first applied]

[Left: Dewy, Right: Matte ...dried down]

     If you want to see me try these both on and talk about them some more, head on over to my YouTube channel (linked in the header)!



Disclaimer: I did purchase the Maybelline Matte + Poreless Foundation, but I received the Dewy + Smooth complimentary from Influenster! Neither Influenster or Maybelline are monetarily compensating me for a review of the foundations or a blog post!

Happy 2018 Birthday, Beauty Insiders!

     Every year Sephora offers birthday gift options for their Beauty Insiders. You can become a "beauty insider" by joining the free program that Sephora has! The program allows for customers to build points, which can be redeemed for some nice samples throughout the year, and of course you get a birthday gift (the whole reason we are writing this today)! I can recall two Nars lip crayons being one, a face mask and face wash by Fresh being another... but this year there is a cleansing mud and face primer by Glam Glow and the little kit I chose by Bite Beauty!

     Inside the Bite Beauty kit you get a sample of the Agave Sugar Lip Scrub and the Agave Lip Balm, as well as a mini Amuse Bouche Lipstick in the color Chai, and a Matte Creme Lip Crayon in the color Glace! I felt like this was definitely the better value, plus the colors of the lippies are universally flattering for all skin tones (see the photos below). The Amuse Bouche Lipsticks are super pigmented and hydrating... definitely one of the more comfortable lip products on the market! The Matte Creme Lip Crayons are also comfortable and do not have the sheen-y finish of the lipsticks, but they are not transfer-proof or drying like some other options out there! 

     I happen to be a fan of Bite Beauty and I am actually obsessed with this little kit. The Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Chai is in the nude family with a neutral/warm, dusty undertone that picks up more of a brick hue next to the Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Glace. The Glace colored crayon is a dusty mauve shade, which again falls somewhere in the nude lip family. It is more on the neutral/cool side of the spectrum... but so beautiful! If you aren't a Beauty Insider... go sign up so you can get your hands on this freebie! If you already are one... at least now you know you need this when it comes time to choose!

[Left is Chai (lipstick), Right is Glace (crayon)]

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored & all opinions are my own!
(This post was originally published on my previous blog forum, which I have since gotten rid of. You will now only find my blog posts here on BlogSpot/Blogger)!

Tony Moly... Guacamole?

     Okay, really... it's avocado, but Guacamole just rhymed! I am here to tell ya'll I found a face cream I am obsessed with! Many of you may know I prefer lighter weight skincare-- I love the Garnier Moisture Rescue Gel-Cream (the blue-green one), facial sprays, and I routinely opt for oils in my routine, but lately... I have been grabbing this rich, dense cream. The Tony Moly I'm Real Avocado Rich Cream is no joke. It contains argan oil (fair trade ingredient), buckwheat extracts to soften the skin, it is 70% of natural originated ingredients, and does not contain "parabens, talc, triethanolamine, sulfate-based surfactants, mineral oil, benzophenone, or artificial colours."

     The production description states, "Avocado, also known as 'Butter in forest', softens the rough skin and gives a rich glow by forming moisture barrier over the skin densely." It is to be used as the last step of your skincare routine and it should be patted into the skin to "promote absorption." The cream is very thick and made me nervous because I have acne-prone skin, but it blends out effortlessly into a silky nothingness. It leaves my skin fresh and extremely hydrated, and I use it all the time now in my regular skincare routine! Problem? I found mine on clearance in Ulta for $4! Now it seems I can only get it off the Tony Moly website for a whopping $17.99! It is still worth it, but I'd try checking your local Ulta clearance first!

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored & all opinions are my own!
(This post was originally published on my previous blog forum, which I have since gotten rid of. You will now only find my blog posts here on BlogSpot/Blogger)!