Keeping It Simple

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SelfPortrait

Something I’m trying out new this year is applying the idea of keeping it simple to pretty much everything in my life. I have a tendency to overcomplicate things. My mind inevitably expands simple ideas into tenfold master plans, making it easy for me to start getting overwhelmed after the initial excitement wears off. I don’t know about you, but when I’m overwhelmed I either get paralyzed and end up doing practically nothing, or I just get over it completely and decide I want to do something else.

There’s no need to overcomplicate things.

Keeping things simple and to the point should really help me get more things I want accomplished. Every time I catch myself overanalyzing, wasting time on something that shouldn’t really be that all that hard or time-consuming, I’m going to step back, refocus on the overall point and get back to that!

 

xx Victoria

p.s. As far as my blog, I hope to be focusing on my photography quite a bit more this year & I’d like to start posting again more regularly. Here’s to staying motivated! ; )

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Fall + Winter: Dark Red Lips

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As one of my favorite fall style elements that I mentioned before, vampy lips have been a staple in my makeup routine through this season. It may be getting rapidly close to the end of fall already, but winter is basically the same thing to me & these shades are still totally just as relevant.

Check out some of these gorgeous vampy reds I’d love to try:1. Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Plum Noir $25
2. NARS Lip Gloss in Bougainville $24
3. Topshop Lip Crayon in Suspect $14
4. Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Tarnish in Blackmail $19
5. Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede Lipstick in Backstage $8.99
6. MUFE Rouge Artist Intense in Satin Blueberry $19

I’ve been very minimal with my makeup lately, but if I’m going out at night I’ll at least do dark lips + mascara, if nothing else.

Here are the few vampy-esque lip colors that I currently own and tend to wear:
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry $7.99 (I love the color and slightly glossy finish, but I wish this applied more evenly)
NARS Lip Gloss in Nana $24 (One of my favorite glosses. It has a long-lasting gel formula and really pretty, glossy color.)
Stila Long Wear Lip Color in Daring $20 (Really love this color but it has a similar texture to the Revlon Black Cherry, a bit patchy and runs easily)
Rimmel London Stay Glossy Lip Gloss in Black Diva $4.99 (I’ve never actually worn this out on its own, but I like to blend it to darken a deep red)

To help with the patchy issues and to make my lip color last longer, I usually use the same dark reddish-purple M.A.C. Lip Pencil in Currant $15, under any of these colors if I’m going dark. Which I am.

So there you have it. ·sexy·blackberry·gothic·plum·vampy·blood· These are the kinds of reds that I’ve been into lately. And I’m not a red person. If there’s a choice, I would probably never choose red anything. But I guess being a purple person helps me sway into the red territory a bit, especially with these darker shades. I find them easier to wear with my skin tone than a bright bold red and I love the hint of ’90s grunge they give off.

I’m not sure that I’ve found my HG vampy lipstick yet, but I’m definitely on the lookout. What lip colors have you been wearing lately?

 

I hope you all had a great week & are ready for the weekend/beginning of December! This is going to be a really great month!!

xxVictoria

 

 

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Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Face Polish

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I’ve been using Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Face Polish for several years now and this is my third time repurchasing. Now that I think about it, this is really the only product I’ve consistently used more than twice. Before I started using this I used to use the St. Ives Apricot Scrub, which I’ve realized is just way too abrasive for my face, but I’ll still use it on my body sometimes in the shower.

This Laura Mercier polish is just a really nice exfoliating face scrub that feels like it really smoothes my skin and leaves it extremely soft and clean. The gritty texture of the “purifying micro-beads” is similar to fine-grained sand, but as long as you’re gentle with rubbing it on your face, I don’t feel like it’s too harsh at all. I use this daily or sometimes every other day and since my skin is normal/oily/combination, I feel like this really helps get rid of any dead skin cells and keep my pores clean. If your skin is dry you may want to use this less often, maybe just 2x a week.

My only complaint would be that they recently downsized the product from 3.7 oz to 3.4 oz and it’s still the same price at $30. I’ll never understand why a company would do that. No one likes to feel like they are getting a worse deal than before, but I guess it’s not a huge difference. The smaller size is still generous enough and will last you pretty long since you only ever really need to use a tiny dab of scrub each time. The tube always lasts me at least six months.

Other than the downsize, I have nothing bad to really say about this scrub. I actually really love using it and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a nice, simple exfoliating face scrub.

Tip: If you happen to have sensitive skin, you should be extra careful to be gentle when rubbing it on. Also, as always when exfoliating your face, use on clean skin, open your pores with warm water beforehand and be sure to avoid your eye area!

Have you tried this exfoliating scrub before? I’d love to hear about your favorites!

 

xx Victoria

 

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Fall Mani: Sponged Burgundy Tips

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I was really excited to try this color combination after I realized that the darker tips would make the lighter color work better for my skintone. I received Essie To Buy or Not to Buy from one of my best friends from Paris (because she is so sweet & sent me a seriously beyond amazing birthday present that also included this, this and this! Thank you!!) While I really love the creamy lilac (any shade of purple really!) it isn’t exactly the best match for my skin color. Usually nail polish this light, especially with a tint of blue can make me look washed out since I’m pretty ghostly pale. I love that the burgundy tips help make this color work for me & I think this could work with other colors that I like but won’t typically wear.

Maybelline Color Show Auburn Ablaze* is a perfect fall shade. I just picked it up last week… and for $2.99 it’s a steal. The color is a dirty brown meets sparkly burgundy and it looks gorgeous in the sun. I’m sure I’ll be wearing this color to death and I already want to try some other similar ones. I don’t know about you, but I’m really liking deep reds and purples for everything right now.

* Auburn Ablaze is limited edition from the Fall 2012 collection & I can’t seem to find it anywhere online. Wined & Dined seems to be a close alternative!

To get this look: Just sponge 2-3 layers of Auburn Ablaze over two dried coats of To Buy or Not to Buy. Make sure to let dry between layers. Finish with a clear top coat. I used Essie No Chips Ahead, which I’m liking quite a lot!

What are your favorite nail colors right now? Let me know if you like this combination & if you try it out!

So now that there are only two more days until I head off to Hungary for a couple weeks I’m starting to freak out a bit. I have a ton of stuff left to get done & I still want to put up a few posts before leaving… not to mention trying to pack and clean etc! These are the times I sort of wish I didn’t leave everything until the last possible second, but that seems to be something I still haven’t figured out a good way to avoid. I’m sure it will all magically get done somehow though. Wish me luck! : )

Hope you’re having a nice Monday!

xx Victoria

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