september birchbox & ipsy bag !

  
Hi guys!

I’m sorry this post is so so so delayed. Life has really been crazy lately. I actually just got both of these out of my mailbox last week (now you really see how disorganized I’ve been!) 

Let’s talk about how amazing the weather has been lately. It’s cool and sunny and perfect. I can wear my hair straight without worrying about frizz all day & LAYERS so many layers of clothing. Fall style is the greatest by far. Fall makeup is also easily my favorite with the gold and copper eyes and the berry lips. Yes please!

So let’s see what I got from each subscription!   

Birchbox:

• 100% Pure – Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream

• Anatasia Beverly Hills – Perfect Brow Pencil

• Etat Libre d’Orange – Remarkable People

• TOCCA – Esfoliante da Corpo

  Ipsy:

• NAOBAY – Oxygenating Cream Moisturizing

• NYX – Ipsy Exclusive Pallete 

• VASANTI – Brighten Up!

• JCat – #MOTD Slide On Pencil

• Formula X – Ignite

The winner? This month I’m obsessed with my Ipsy freebie bag. Although I have received the NAOBAY & VASANTI products before, I’m very excited for the JCat pencil and NYX Pallete. This with the amazing bag makes Ipsy the winner for September. (Shoutout though to the Anatasia Pencil and Caffeine Eye Cream from Birchbox!)

xo. 

J

exciting news !

Hi guys !

I’ve officially made it back from Vegas in one piece. I’ll post all about the trip
this week, but in the meantime I have some exciting news! I’ve started an Instagram account specifically for this blog – go check it out, pretty please :]

@sparkleandchampagne

Share your Instagrams in the comments below!

xo,
J

best of 2014: beauty !

Hi guys!

This week I’m going to do a mini series focusing on my favorite products of 2014! I’m really excited to share this post – this year (my first full year out of college) is when my love for beauty blogging truly blossomed. I don’t know if it is that I have a lot of free time on my hands working a 9 to 5 job, or the steady stream of income that comes with it, but I’ve acquired SO MANY new products in 2014 and I just love to share them with you. So let’s get started with my top beauty picks of 2014:

• Benefit’s The POREfessional – I found this concealer while i was still living in Florida. This was 100% necessary for keeping my makeup shine-free (and just on TBH) while living in the sunshine state!
• Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Foundation – I started using this foundation the colder months here in the City. It is definitely full coverage, and lasts 12 hours as it claims. I also really like how Tarte as a whole is Cruelty Free and just really good all around.
• NARS Creamy Concealer – Perfect for covering up darks spots & hyper-pigmentation on my face. The formula is a bit thicker than normal, but I like it a lot!
• Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer – This is the PERFECT concealer for dark circles under your eyes. Holy Grail product for me 100%.
• Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation – This is the foundation I used in Florida and in the summer months here. Definitely great for oil control and leaves a beautiful matte finish!
• Benefit’s Hoola Bronzer – WONDERFUL product. Not muddy or orange whatsoever. I’m completely obsessed.
• Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso – This blush is just so pretty; I originally bought it for the summer as it is coral with a bit of shimmer..however, I still wear it every day, even through fall and winter!!
• Naked 2 Palette – This is just the perfect cool-toned neutral palette that you can make hundreds of looks with, love.
• Revlon Color Stay Liquid Liner – This is the first liquid liner i ever purchased, I think it’s so great. It goes on very black, doesn’t smudge, and is very easy to apply.
• Benefit’s They’re Real Mascara – I have long eyelashes to begin with, but I’m not even lying that people ask me if I’m wearing false eyelashes when I wear this product, how cool!?
• Makeup For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara – Another mascara I’m obsessed with (it was so hard to pick only 2!) The brush is tapered and smaller at the end which makes it amazing to apply. The formula isn’t too wet & when combined with the awesome brush, really elongates and separates the lashes. So so so great!!!
• First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Lip Therapy – i LOVE this lip gloss. Definitely has been keeping my lips hydrated in the dry months.
• Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters in Berry Smoothie & Raspberry Pie – Another tough decision, but I chose this formula based on the fact it is what I reached for the most in 2014. It hydrates your lips, is very easy to apply, and has absolutely wonderful pigmentation. I have so many colors, but I love the berry shades!

Whew, that’s all for now. Stay tuned for my posts on Best of 2014 Skincare & Haircare !

What were your favorite products of 2014!?

xo, J

ulta mini-haul.

so after fighting tirelessly with the usps, my ulta package finally arrived! i got a few things as a present to myself for valentine’s day, because why not right?

my favorite thing about ulta is their buy one get one half off deals. this works perfectly for things that come in pairs (like my new shampoo and conditioner)!

so here’s what i got:

1. organix quenched sea mineral moisture shampoo and conditioner – i LOVE organix. i try to use the formulas with the creamier consistency (the hawiian line is my favorite) but i saw this one and it looked so pretty and smells AMAZING. it also kinda reminds me of home and the beach, so when i saw this on bogo at ulta i knew i NEEDED to get it.

2. milani shadow eyes in champagne toast – clearly, i love champagne (hello blog title).. but i’ve also heard rave review of milani shadow eyes in this shade from blair fowler (juicystar07) as well as other beauty bloggers i’m obsessed with. so far so good on this product.

3. milani again, this time the luminoso blush – another product highly recommended by beauty bloggers such as blair. i’m actually obsessed with this product already.

4. revlon color stay liquid eye liner – so i have a little bit of an obsession with lauren conrad. okay, a huge obsession; she’s literally my idol. but in her beauty and style books shes raves about liquid eye liner. i used to only use pencil, then i worked my way up to the pot-and-brush style, now finally i’ve graduated up to liquid eye liner. let me tell you, i instantly fell in love with this product (i’m using the word love a lot today aren’t i? haha valentine’s day). i’ll probably never turn back on this, which i’m not upset about at all. i chose revlon for this product because of tireless searching on the internet (i also think this was on a special sale)

5. the product i’m MOST excited about – the naked 2 eye pallet – obviously you’ve heard about this before. they’re already on naked 3, but i just needed to get naked 2. it’s so pretty and wonderful and i can’t wait to use this every single day!

well that’s all for now! happy valentine’s day again 🙂

xo, J