Bright Colors for Dark Souls...

   Once someone commented that I only like things that are black and death.
   
   At that point in time, it was semi-true. I wore all black, all day, every day, regardless of the weather or the season. I've gotten a little better, or so I'd like to think.

   Those who know me well, they know that I really do love deeper, dark colors. I very near despise pastels, brights are tolerable, jewel tones acceptable, black and gray always preferable. Despite this closely kept fact, (well, not so closely kept anymore...) I want to like colors; I want to be comfortable with bright colors. I've gotten comfortable wearing a lot of color in my clothing, but for the longest time, the only makeup I ever wore-and I mean ever-was black winged liner with red lipstick, or no lipstick. As easy as that was, I felt like I always looked the same. A few people actually commented that my makeup always looked the same. 

   Some would say to do whatever I like and not to worry what others think, but the issue is not really what others think but more of me getting tired of the same thing, and getting tired of being predictable. I guess. So over the last year, I've been experimenting with different looks and with more color, really going out of my comfort zone. I noticed that I definitely gravitate towards colors that are very saturated and highly pigmented. Pastels are still not my favorite, largely because they are white-based colors and wash out my warm-medium toned skin. 

   I have happened to become fond of a few bright shades. So even though summer is coming to an end, I thought I would share the "bright" shades that my "dark" soul is drawn to, in order to inspire others or, you know...whatever. 

Is It Worth the Price? (Nails Inc Gel Effect vs Sinful Colors)

   OHMYWORD! What happened to me this last week?! I failed. But I am here now to redeem myself. Let's talk about some nail polishes, specifically a $15 nail polish versus a $2 nail polish.

   I mentioned in the haul I posted last week that I went on a bender with the Nails Inc Gel Effect polishes. I had tried the color Porchester Square and had loved the way it wore throughout the week so much that I thought it would be worth investing in a few more shades. 

   When my order arrived, I realized that the color Baker St. is an exact match for the Sinful Colors nail polish in Endless Blue; which I already owned. This was the perfect opportunity to compare the two brands to see how they stacked against each other.

I Have a Problem...(A Confession/Beauty Haul)

   So this is beauty haul, but it's also a sad, sad confession. Clearly, I have a serious problem. I mean, did I really need eight new nail polishes and eye shadows, or two new liquid lipsticks? No not at all, and yet, here we are. Do I regret these purchases? No, not so much. Especially because this is more of a collective beauty hall; things I accumulated over the course of a few weeks. So let's shamelessly talk about my binging-beauty-shopaholic-disorder.

Boxycharm 06.15

   This month's Boxycharm arrived earlier this afternoon, and it had some real goodies packed in it. Let's check it out!

Boxycharm 05.15

   Yay for another awesome Boxycharm! This month's box was filled with lots of wonderful goodness, so let's jump in.

It's a Bad Habit, Babe

   Let's talk about a bad habit I have.

   Like most people these days, I have a lot of anxiety. I'm not unique, I know. And like most people who suffer from anxiety, I have little nervous habits that are a sure tell. Restless legs, lip or nail biting, skin picking, hair twisting, finger tapping, ect. 

My Autumn Favorites

   I wasn't able to blog about my September and October favorites, so I thought I'd just do one post about my favorites things from this autumn season (September through November).

   I didn't really stray from my must-have-every-day items this fall, even though I got a few new things. I feel that I really need to use the new things I purchased for a little longer before I can say whether they are favorites of mine or not. 

   So, without further ado, here are my favorites from this fall season! Click the link below to view...

July Favorites

I went a little spend-crazy June and July, so there's been quite a few new things for me to try out. This collection of items are things that I have been really loving and reaching for a lot throughout the month of July. 

Body...

Red & White Tee-I absolutely cannot stop wearing this white and red striped shirt, I have been pairing it with as many outfits as possible. It's by Abercrombie and Fitch, but I found it at the thrift store on sale. It doesn't get much better than that. 


Argan Magic Body Butter- I picked up this body butter at TJ Maxx and it quickly became my new favorite lotion. It is really moisturizing, the texture is whipped and reminds me of Fluffernutter. The best part is that it smells like Piña Colada. It's hard not to want to eat it.

Marc Jacobs Dot- I have always believed that I was the kind of girl who would never buy perfume. That changed after I got a little sample of Marc Jacob's Dot. I really love the scent. It is so light and refreshing, it smells a little like strawberry and watermelon juice. I love it. I'm saving up to buy a larger bottle.  

Formula X polish in Incandescent- This is a really pretty shade of cantaloup-coral-orange. It's been a really good summer color. I've been using some polish with tiny flecks of gold glitter over it for my accent nail and I think it pairs really nicely.

Sinful Colors polish in Endless Blue- This is a really striking, intense shade of bright royal blue. I absolutely love it, I can't get enough of it.

Face/Makeup...

Tarte Clean Slate Poreless 12 hr Primer- I love this primer. I have tried many different primers from various brands, but I really love the way this one feels on my skin the best. It does not cause me to break out. I don't feel like I'm wearing a mask when I have it on. It really does an excellent job keeping my makeup from melting or disappearing from off my face.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Fearless- I have many colors of the Tarte blushes, but I seem to be reaching for Fearless the most. I really like the natural flush it gives my cheeks. Some of the other shades I have tend to be too bright, but this shade always looks perfect. 

Lorac Pro Palette 1- I use this palette pretty much everyday. Every shadow color is absolutely beautiful and they all work so well together. The color payoff is fantastic, and I love how easy it is to blend these shadows out.The colors I probably use the most are Sable and Mauve.

Kat Von D. Tattoo Liner in Trooper- This is my new favorite, absolute-must-have eyeliner. The price is reasonable, the formula is really pigmented, it is water resistant, and the brush applicator is THE best thing for liquid liner ever. This liner has made cat-eye flicks so much easier and precise for me. I will never go back to a felt-tip applicator.

Sephora's Mineral Powder brush (#45)- This brush is so soft and gentle, does an excellent job helping build up to really good medium-full coverage with mineral foundation. It has been so much nicer to apply my makeup everyday since purchasing this brush.


Books...

Sherlock Holmes by Sir Aurthur Conan Doyle- I started reading Sherlock in June, but wasn't able to devote as much time to reading it as I would have liked to. I only just finished it about a week and a half ago. It's quite a large book, with several novels and many shorter stories. I absolutely loved it! I started reading Sherlock expecting it to be engaging and well written, mostly due to my love for the hugely successful BBC series, with it's modernized retelling. I was not disappointed whatsoever. The wit, mystery, and characters of these stories are so enthralling and entertaining that I feel a large void in me now that I've read them all. I'm going to have to purchase the complete collection for myself to read again and again at my leisure. 


Food...

Ramen- I have been craving ramen non-stop. It doesn't matter how hot it is outside, ramen is always appropriate. 

That's quite a lot of favorites! I will not be spending nearly half as much as I did in June and July, so hopefully the list will be a bit shorter and easier to compile.

Love, Little Mouse

This Week's Nails

Bahamian Escape by China Glaze

I picked up this new (to me) shade from China Glaze a few weeks ago, but hadn't actually tried it out until yesterday. In the store, it looked like it was a periwinkle-purple-like blue, but it turned out to be closer to baby or powder blue. It's a very pretty shade, and even though I don't typically go for pastels, I really do love this for summer. I think this will be perfect for next spring as well. 

 Love, Little Mouse