Perfect Nudes

Like all of us in the blogosphere, I've been checking out the latest trends for the upcoming fall season and mentally taking note of favorites. The same holds true when it comes to the latest beauty trends. I've always been on the fence about purchasing Urban Decay's Naked eye shadow palette simply because I couldn't justify the hefty $50+ price tag with how much I would actually use it. So, of course when I came across Maybelline's alternative palette, The Nudes at a local Rite Aid for a fraction of the cost, I immediately scooped it up.

So far I've used the colors in trios and found the first two blocks on the left to be perfect for everyday wear. The trios to the right seem fun for a glam night out on the town, which I'll probably use more sparingly. 

For $10, this palette is a definite favorite and new staple in my makeup bag. You can check out more ideas on how to mix and blend the 12 different shades over on Maybelline's website. Overall, I'm thoroughly impressed with the quality and pigment of the colors, considering I'm typically a M.A.C eye shadow girl. I can't wait to experiment with all of the shades and come up with some fun fall looks!

{Maybelline The Nudes eye shadow palette - $9.99}

April Julep Box

I have been a subscriber to the Julep Maven boxes for some time now and love their nail polishes and beauty products. This month I'm unveiling my April "It Girl" box. From left is the Maren polish, which is a pretty, shimmery pink. I just recently used it on my toenails and love how bright it is! The purple is called Flora and has blue shimmers in it when the light hits. Finally is Bailey, a bright cobalt blue which I plan on wearing when I'm laying poolside this summer.

If you want to try a Julep subscription, you can take the style quiz here and receive your first box FREE. The nice thing about a Julep Maven subscription is that you can change your box every month if you like or skip it altogether. Have you tried Julep products before? If so, what is your favorite? I'm always looking to try new things from them.

Happy Wednesday!

Sephora Haul

My good gal pal, Jessica invited me makeup shopping this past weekend and of course, I could not pass up a chance to visit my favorite beauty store, Sephora. I had just received a 15% coupon off my entire purchase via e-mail on Friday, so it was like a sign from the beauty gods! We hit the mall at full stride.

My girlfriend was looking for a new, tinted moisturizer and concealer from Nars and the lovely associates at Sephora were happy to help her out. While originally I was just there for moral support, I ended up finding all kinds of goodies that I needed wanted. Being on such a budget this past year made me go a little crazy, but it was all worth it! Check out my loot:

Nars bronzer in "Laguna"

Stila waterproof eyeliner

Elizabeth and James NIRVANA White fragrance

Stila blending sponge

Lorac PRO mascara

The Nars bronzer is my absolute favorite and a cult classic. I've been going cheap mode on bronzer and it was nice to add this one back into the rotation. It has just the right amount of shimmer without being sparkly.

The Stila waterproof eyeliner is a true gem! I was previously using a more budget-friendly gel eyeliner, but it would only last half-way through a normal workday. The Stila version is the best I've found so far when it comes to handling and staying power. This one will definitely be in my bag when I hit the desert this weekend.

Elizabeth and James's new fragrance NIRVANA (exclusively sold at Sephora) is now in my purse full time. I was looking for a new fragrance since I'm currently only wearing Chanel Coco Mademoiselle and wanted something light and a little musky for summer. This is all of those things rolled into one. I chose the white one over the black, but they were both equally appealing.

Another win for Stila with their blending sponge. The Sephora associate tried to steer us to the Beauty Blender sponge, but we weren't willing to shell out the $20 for it. This version was $10 with the discount and well worth it. I love the way my foundation and tinted moisturizer go on so much smoother and this is one purchase I know I'll make over and over again.

Lastly I picked up Lorac's Pro mascara in jet black. While I'm typically a drugstore-only mascara addict, this one appealed to me because of it's jumbo brush and the way it lengthened my eyelashes. It was a little splurge, but sometimes that's okay.

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by Sephora and all opinions are strictly my own.