Wednesday, October 15, 2014

one direction x markwins beauty makeup collection review

[Warning: This post is extremely picture heavy!]

This is certainly a delayed start to this year, but I am finally back! While most bloggers are probably in the midst of "Blogtober (or Vlogtober)," I am starting to pick of the pieces of where I left off with my blogging at the beginning of last summer because I have been quite the busy gal as of late! A ton of work and many of my summer activities kept me from being able to take some solid time to devote myself to my blog, but I promise that I am now back for good. I am in the process of putting together a schedule and planning what I am going to prepare for future posts, but by the end of the month I am hoping that I will be up-and-running on a new regular schedule! However, I know I tweeted a while ago getting everyone excited for the reveal of the exclusive products I received from Markwins Beauty from their One Direction collaboration! I wanted to make sure I covered all of the bases so this post will have a bunch of photographs and mini-reviews of what I think of the products in this set, and if you like it check a local retailer (Macy's, Lord & Taylor's, etc.) to pick one up!

Packaging and Contents:

The set I received was called "Midnight Memories" after One Direction's third album that was released in 2013. (There is also a song called Midnight Memories as well.) This kit focused on a very dramatic nighttime look- smoky eyes and a classic red lip! Normally this is the type of makeup that I steer clear of, (solely because I don't think it works very well with my complexion) so I was excited that I could not only put these products to the test, but also experiment with them! Inside of the package there were eye looks produced for the different eye colors, so you can get the most out of the set you purchase. The products were packaged in a tin box that had a brick design printed on it, and once opened, there was a promotion card, and all of the contents concealed under a plastic cover. Nothing was damaged so this seems like pretty functional packaging that makes it easy to store the makeup anywhere! 

Inside my set was the following products: 

- 5-Color Eyeshadow Palette
- Liquilights Glow Gloss
- Eye & Body Crayon
- Volumizing Mascara
- 5-Piece Decorator Stencil Set 
- Lipstick
- Nail Varnish

Each kit had all of these products but in various shades to follow the theme of the box. 

Products:

5-Color Eyeshadow Palette: This palette is a great mixture of smoky grays and blacks, with a beautiful pink accent color. I can personally see myself wearing this pink shadow by itself all of the time, so even if I don't get many uses out of these shadows that one is worth it. The pink shade seems glittery and very pigmented, but I find that the matte black and matte light gray are slightly chalky. The center color is a gel-shadow, but it seems like it could be applied to a brush to make a great crease shade!

The shade names are (from top left clockwise): Little White Lies, Don't Forget Where You Belong, Half A Heart and Strong; the middle shade is Midnight Memories

"Liquilights" Glow Gloss: According to the package, this is a UV lipgloss that glows in the dark to become a lighter and brighter version of the original shade which is called Through the Dark. When applied this came out to be a very nice pink shade with some gold glitter throughout. This formula isn't sticky and smells like a sugary candy! 

Lipstick: This lipstick is in the shade Best Song Ever. It is an extremely bright matte fire-engine red. While it has a very deep enticing color and great pigmentation, this is not a color that I can see myself wearing in the future. I would totally recommend this for anyone who loves to wear a red lip, and the packaging is really nice- quite comparable to a NYX Black Label Lipstick. 

Eye & Body Crayon: I am very impressed that they market this as a dual-use product because I would never have thought to use this on anywhere except my eyes! The creamy formula of this pencil would be great for an intense smoky eye because it is super blendable, but also works well to gently line the waterline or tightline for a more natural look. This one's called Better Than Words. 

Volumizing Mascara: While I absolutely adore the name Little Black Dress for a black mascara, this was probably my least favorite of all of the products. The wand is typical of a mascara that would give a lot of volume, but it has a strange scent (similar to that of lead-based paint) that I dislike. I wouldn't discount it completely because that doesn't last long after application to the lashes. 

Nail Varnish and Stencil Set: I haven't encountered nail stencils in ages! For the age group that this product is targeting, I think that nail stencils with a polish is a truly cute idea. The nail shade, Right Now, is a beautiful black with little flecks of gold shimmer. One of my favorite shades! 

Overall, I am very impressed with this kit by Markwins Beauty! It retails for around $30 ($28.50 to be exact), which I think is a great price point for the amount of product you receive. 

To find out more about the products check out their brand Facebook Page:



If you didn't believe how bright the lipstick was, here is proof! 

xoxo

p.s. if you'd like to see me do a 
few makeup looks with this makeup, 
let me know in the comments!

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Monday, May 26, 2014

ootd: indie city

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous lately! I am loving how all of the flowers are blooming, grass is getting greener and everyone is starting to come back to life after this year's long winter. I decided to make the most of my weekend and take a trip to get some exercise, delicious food to eat and of course, an photos for an outfit of the day!

This outfit is called "Indie City" because the photographs were taken in an urban setting, and the look was focused around my pants. Printed pants are a trend that is becoming very prominent for the spring/summer with their light, flowy fabric and fun designs. I love pairing simple tops and pants with crazy prints to create an unexpected twist to my outfits.

Burgundy Jacket- Brandy Melville 
Halter Crop Top- Brandy Melville
Printed Harem Pants- Urban Outfitters
Sneakers (not shown)- Superga
Mini Office City Bag- Zara 
Necklace- Lester's 
Bracelets- Assorted Brands

This get-up is actually one of my favorite outfits from this spring! It was quite hot out so I didn't wear the coat much but I thought it went well in the case it got colder towards the evening. Though pants may seem hot for a summer day, light materials used in harem pants makes them perfect for breezy, summer days! These are super comfortable and are a very basic color scheme so they can go with any top. Halter tops are also very trendy at the moment and I am crazy about them. I think they frame the shoulders beautifully and really make you have a fuller bust.

The icing on the cake was my new Zara Mini Office City Bag! I just purchased this bad and I love it so much! The shoulder strap is super comfortable and just long enough that it can hang over your shoulder or be a crossbody. The interior of the bag is a little smaller than I anticipated but I still love it and can see it begin very well used in my wardrobe in the future! 

xoxo

Friday, May 23, 2014

springing into summer: my first spray tan

Summer is almost here! Seeing that it is at my fingertips, I made the decision to get my first organic spray tan. I am quite fair, and while I would love to spend my summer days sunbathing, too much exposure to the sun does a lot of damage to my skin. Not only is too much time under the sun unhealthy, I often get very painful sunburn when I attempt to tan. This seemed like a slightly better option, and left me with a beautiful warm glow!

Organic spray tans contain brown sugar and come in very few universal colors that adjust to your skin tone. Though the tan was very dramatic for someone as pale as me, I was told by many people that it looked totally natural. This was my biggest concern (as well as many of those that I went with), and I am extremely pleased that it came out well. The only thing that was disappointing was the lasting power of the spray tan. Seeing that a spray tan is a little luxury that I do not often get to enjoy, I wished it had lasted for a little longer than 4 days. After about three showers it had almost completely faded, and it did seem to transfer onto some of my clothing items, especially those that were tight and white (such as socks and crop tops). I am hoping that the tan does come off! As for the experience as a whole, I really loved it! After this, a lot of my anxiety has gone away about spray tans and really makes me want to be tan again. In the future I will definitely be doing a good amount of research into other (more cost-effective) ways to getting a slightly more bronze tint to my skin this summer. 


These images were taken with a filter so they might make me look a little washed out, but the first one does a pretty good job of showing my spray tan. One of my favorite things about having it was getting to take advantage of wearing light colored clothing (white, aqua, etc) and slightly darker makeup. My favorite makeup look was a sparkly gold eyeshadow (Half Baked from the Naked Palette), brown eyeliner and a nude lip (MAC's Paper Lantern Lip Gloss and Creme d' Nude Lipstick). They really brought out the tan in my face and made my blue eyes pop. 


The filter on this photo made it hard to see the tan, but I really wanted to include this image for the fashion aspect! The main tank top is aqua, with a very low drop on the sides and I was struggling to find something to match with it- this white halter tank from Brandy Melville did exactly what I wanted and certainly added a new twist! If anyone has a similar tank top issue I would definitely encourage trying out this look. 

xoxo

p.s. if you have other 
questions about the spray tan, 
leave a comment below!

Saturday, May 17, 2014

new favorite fashionista: miroslava duma

While I have been cooped up doing constant work, I have made a new discovery from the high-fashion world! As I was doing research on Russia, I came across the beautiful (and very petite) Miroslava Duma, a internet fashion sensation from Russia and creator of Buro247.ru. After looking at many photographs of her through Google and her Instagram account, miraduma, I have to say that I am extremely inspired by style. She seems to always be switching it up with her fashion and is not afraid to make a statement. She loves to incorporate bold color and interesting texture in her ensembles as well, which I absolutely adore and always try to play around with in my everyday as well (though I am not always quite as successful).



                                                      

Despite being a seemingly young fashion icon, Miroslava also has embraced older, mod style from the 80's as well as mixing small pieces to incorporate traditional Russian trends. I truly appreciate the flair and elegance she has projected onto her outfit and how she really gives a new light to fashion. I will certainly continue to track her in the fashion community and be looking out for where her forward sense of style travels next!

xoxo

p.s. tweet me a picture of 
your fashion inspiration
on twitter @stylenativeblog!

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

april glam bag by ipsy

Finally I have managed to start receiving Ipsy, a makeup subscription service that delivers a makeup bag full of products (full sized and travel sized) to your doorstep every single month. This fabulous creation only costs $10 a month (with free shipping) and is a great opportunity to test out new products from different brands and journey out of your comfort zone in the world of beauty.

Because I am not always a patient person, I could not resist searching all over the internet for product spoilers, and had an idea of most of the things that could come in the bag. While I was hesitant at first and thought I was going to be disappointed, Ipsy truly proved me wrong. I am IN LOVE with my April bag! My profile quiz matched me up with products that I am really excited to experiment with and get to use for the future. This month's theme was "Beauty Rocks," and all of the things you get are supposed to help you create a rockstar look.

Often I have seen blog posts about the Ipsy makeup bags and they are often really cute. I like this one, but this is probably my least favorite part of this month's bag. I won't say that it doesn't go really great with the theme however, because the record on a turntable is a really good idea! 

I got three products to create an eye look. The first was an Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Black Velvet. This was the product that everyone was guaranteed in their bag and I was so excited to get it! The Black Velvet eyeliner pencil was just recently released by Urban Decay, along with many other variations of black eyeliner. I cannot wait to put this formula to the true test, and see if it holds up as well as my other 24/7 eyeliners from the brand! I also received Kiss "Looks So Natural"Lashes in Vamp. They seem slightly dramatic, but they are extremely soft and come with a really nice lash glue. I have an event coming up this weekend, and I might just have to give these a go! Additionally, the last eye product is a City Color White Gold Mousse Eyeshadow. Personally, I really like this product. It seems like it is going to have good lasting power, and has a really fluffy texture. I have not used a cream eyeshadow that is as soft as this before, but it seems like it will be really easy to apply and leave great pigmentation throughout the day. 

In addition to getting products for the eyes, I have some lip and cheek products as well. For my face, I got a travel size of Benefit's Lollitint, a new product that is raved about among the beauty community! I was really hoping to get this in my bag, and was so happy when I did! If I end up truly liking this, I may even purchase the full size! Finally, I got a Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in Acid Pink. There were two colors that you could get, and in the beginning I was kind of disappointed that I got Acid Pink. The other color probably would have been more wearable and suited me more, but I think this will give me the push I need to venture out with my lip colors. Hopefully I can work it!

This bag is perfect for me, and made my first experience with Ipsy extremely pleasant. I am so happy that I have enough to create a full makeup look, and I think it will truly rock! (I'm funny, I know.) These products (particularly the lip and cheek colors) are very out of my comfort zone and will certainly help create a great dramatic look. My hesitation about starting a beauty subscription service was not actually getting makeup products to try but instead a lot of skincare, so I am very confident in my choice with this subscription bag. I cannot wait for May to arrive so I can get the next one! 

xoxo

p.s. if you interested in joining 
Ipsy, you can use this link!

Monday, April 14, 2014

fashion inspiration #2


I'm back with one of my favorite fashion posts! I know that I have been absent from blogging recently, and I am very sorry! I was so busy with work for school, and my birthday that I haven't been able to get the time to sit down and really think about posting. Unfortunately, I am going to be going away to Florida for the week so that will limit my posting abilities as well. I am attempting to vlog this vacation on my camera so I can start making some videos for a YouTube Channel! I'm not sure how it will work out, but I will make sure to take many outfit of the day's and photographs regardless. I will also be updating everyone on exciting things via twitter (@stylenativeblog). Let me know in the comments if you would like to see vlogs or if I should write a post on my trip!

Anyways, I am so excited to finally be talking spring/summer fashion! As usual I have been perusing my tumblr feed, and found a bunch of fashionable photos to reblog (per-sian.tumblr.com). I really enjoy getting the time to go through all of the photos I have reblogged and choosing some that reflect my fashion of the late or outfits I aspire to create in the future.

This time, most of the photographs I have chosen contain things I want to buy for this spring/summer season. Because the weather is going straight from a cold winter to the summer, I am sort of missing out on spring fashion trends. I am desperate to get a maxi dress with thin black and white stripes, and some more plain boxy black t-shirts. (I love the texture of the leather one!) I also really want to try out these adorable lacy bras from Urban Outfitters and other fancy lingerie shops that are often trending all over Polyvore. They seem so comfortable! Obviously I also want to get in on the Triangl bathing suit trend, which is practically one of the most popular fashionable swimsuits this season! I haven't gotten one yet, but I am seriously considering investing in one! The neoprene material seems very durable and compliments the body beautifully! 

The final notable item in this post are the chunky two-strap heels in the bottom right hand corner of the collage. I loved them so much and was ecstatic when I found a similar pair from the brand Truffle on ASOS.com. (asos.com/truffle-heeled-sandals) I asked for them for a birthday gift, but am still waiting to see if I get them. I am definitely sharing a photo of these babies the minute I receive them! 

xoxo

p.s. another exciting thing: 
i finally got my hands 
on the Naked 3 palette! I 
cannot wait to post a review!!

Saturday, April 5, 2014

ootd: schoolgirl gone grunge

It is almost the end of winter and I have ceased my chance at wearing a last few dark pieces. Come spring, I love to spice up my wardrobe with bright pastels and neons. However, being that black is my favorite color, I couldn't give it up just yet. I wanted to make sure that this outfit made a punch with my style and was different from the typical sweater and leggings combination. For me, this look definitely made the cut! 


Crop Top- Necessary Clothing 
Plaid Flannel- LF Stores
High Waisted Leggings- Urban Outfitters 
Coltrane Boots- Jeffery Campbell 

While I normally just wear a cropped top with these high-waisted black leggings, I went for a totally "Brandy Melville style" by wearing a plaid flannel top around my waistline. This is a great way to hide extra skin that may be revealed from a crop top, or just as an adorable extra touch to an outfit with a simple color palette. This had been the first time that I wore a flannel like this and I am very satisfied with the look, especially because of how simple it is. The "flannel around-the-waist" look is very common now and I have spotted it on many celebrities (like Miley Cyrus and Kylie Jenner!) and popular YouTube fashionistas. This is an awesome addition to an outfit of any season so hopefully I will get another chance to wear it soon!

xoxo