You know I had to do the corny screen shot a lot of others have been using when doing this tag. I guess you can say I’m channeling my inner Aria? *lol* I’ve been lacking with OOTD post but that’s because I’ve been under the weather a bit–blah. Hope to get an OOTD post up tomorrow. Enjoy the tag!! xo
Here are a few things I picked up over the past month–who doesn’t love new bath, body & beauty goodies?? 
Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter.
–Carol Bishop Hipps
An Autumn inspired makeup tutorial that’s very wearable day or night. Thanks for watching.
*sigh* I REALLY wanted to love this lipstick. I paid about $35 for it so as I said, I REALLY WANTED TO LOVE THIS LIPSTICK. It doesn’t work for me. Out of all my red lippy’s, this is the ONLY ONE that doesn’t work for me. I was hoping this lipstick would be a bit deeper than MAC’s Russian Red. I swatched this at the Chanel counter and I loved it but putting it on my lips… it looked so much different. Gabrielle is a blue based red but it’s a bit brighter than I would have hoped. I literally only used it once and I immediately put it on my blog sale page. I think this is a beautiful color but just not the color I wanted it to be. Bummer.
Taken with my iPhone, not the best quality photo
“You can’t keep changing men, so you settle for changing your lipstick.”
-Heather Locklear
Because I’m so obsessed with red lips at the moment, I thought it’d be
fun to do a little series of blog posts on my red lipstick/ lip gloss
collection. This is just an intro to the series as well as some tips and advice I have if you’re a bit nervous to get into red lipstick.
In the past I’ve purchased red lipsticks, a few years ago
I bought Target Red from L’Oreal (I think). I thought it was a
beautiful color but at that point, I wasn’t ready or comfortable for
red lipstick. I hear a lot of people say that they’re afraid of such a
bold color–I was there too. There are SO many different types of red
lip products–glosses, lipsticks, balms and to add to the confusion,
there are so many different finishes out there–satin, matte, glossy,
lustre–it can get overwhelming.
Some Tips…
The one thing I always tell people when they want to experiement with
a red lip product is to always TEST it out in the comfort of your own
home. This is something I didn’t do. I remember putting on my Target
Red and leaving the house. This may sound odd but as I was walking
around in the store, I felt somewhat paranoid-I felt like people where
starting at me (which I’m sure I caught a few ppl’s attn because you
don’t see people rocking bright red lips everyday). I remember feeling
so uncomfortable that I went home and threw the lipstick out. I just
wrote it off as a color that “didn’t look right on me”.
My point is,if you don’t experiment with a product (especially bold colored beauty
products), you can be writing off a perfectly awesome item! What I
like to do is set some time aside to swatch the product AND TRY IT ON
MY LIPS. I stress that because a lot of people think a swatch can tell
the whole story about a product, I strongly disagree. I think it’s
best to see what colors are complimentary & what hairstyles look
flattering/ what colors are flattering with the color. It may sound a
bit much to you, but this is what works for me.
So don’t be afraid of the red lip! Try it out, get comfortable with it and…
…fearlessly rock it!! xo
“Gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy”
Operation 7.15 is quickly approaching! We’re at this point where there’s not much to do but wait until we get our moving truck (which is a few days away!) We kept busy today–we went for a long drive & did a little pre anniversary shopping.
While Hubby was in Wawa, I played the role of the shallow vixen. Exhibit A. 
On the way to the mall, we stopped by our new home and I snapped this quick piccy. So peaceful and serene! This will officially be MY view come 7.15. I can’t wait…the days of dark, dank, doom will be a distant memory.
Tomorrow is our 7th wedding anniversary! They say that the traditional wedding gift for year 7 is wood or copper, I chose glitz & sophistication! My husband bought me Love, Chloe EDP. Originally I wanted Chanel No. 5 Eau Premier, but I smelled Love, Chloe and I instantly fell in love with the delicateness of this beautiful fragrance. I’m a huge fan of the original Chloe fragrance and this newer version definitely does not disappoint! Another great item I picked up was the Makeup Forever Artistry Favorites deluxe sampler! I have never tried MUFE but I’ve had my eye on the brand for quite some time! I’ll have to blog more in detail and give my thoughts on this deluxe kit!
In addition to the fragrance, I also stopped by the Chanel counter and bought the glossimer in Futile. I’m a Chanel junkie, ’nuff said.
On the way home, we picked up some homemade Blueberry & Strawberry Jam from a local hotspot! Despite the intense heat, it was a fabulous day!
Tomorrow I plan to do a FOTD wearing my new Chanel gloss!
Hope you all are doing well! xo
“Above all, try something.”
~Franklin D. Roosevelt
Today we ventured out to have a look at our new home! We make the long & exciting move in less than two weeks! I kept the outfit and accessories simple but in typical “Nancy Valentino” fashion, I glammed it up a bit! *lol* I love this sundress–it’s such a flattering color for any skin tone. I’ve been LOVING this eye makeup…The DIY mixing medium worked fabulously!!!! I’m so excited that my whole jar of Jardin Aires pigment will actually get used now!
I’ve been thinking about doing a tutorial on this look…think I should?
Hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend! Now–strike a cheesy pose!!
“Remember that the most beautiful things in the world are the most useless; peacocks and lilies for instance.”
-John Ruskin
…and with sunglasses…lol
You may have seen me wear this floral skirt a bunch of times already–I totally believe if you’re going to buy a piece of clothing-WEAR IT! *lol* I love the versatility I get when wearing this skirt–I can wear it with so many camis in my collection–pink, yellow, purple and so on…Today I paired this skirt with a dark green cami and a gold rosette necklace.
**All products mentioned in this post were purchased personally by myself, and I am in no way affiliated or sponsored by the makers of these products***
…oh my. I haven’t had a weekend like this in quite some time! In a previous blog post, I shared my 1st experience buying Chanel makeup-Soleil de Tan & two glossimers.
Just one day later, I find myself lingering over the Chanel counter eyeing up Rouge Coco Shine in Chance. I have to admit, I’ve been wanting this particular lippy for a while now…well…I guess buying Chanel makeup is very much like getting a tattoo-IT’S ADDICTING.
I’ve seen swatches of this lipstick online-it’s sheer. In the tube, it looks like that typical “Nancy Valentino” pink that I love so much. Regardless of the pigmentation, I needed Rouge Coco Shine in my life. I tried it on while I was at the store–I actually had a bit of NARS Turkish Delight on so I put Chance over that–oh me, oh my. Such a lovely, subtle light pink….heaven.
Here is a swatch–as you can see, it’s very light in color:
I am SOOOOO happy that I picked up this lipstick. I have to say that this is literally one of the best lip combos for the Summertime.
In this photo, I’m wearing NARS Turkish Delight & Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Chance (56) over the gloss. Please excuse the photo, my lip was a bit cracked–in the summertime?! *lol*
*All items mentioned in this post were personally purchased by myself.*
“The best color in the whole world, is the one that looks good, on you!”
-Coco Chanel
That’s right! I finally caved! After nearly two months of lusting over the Chanel Soleil de Tan, I finally picked it up today! It’s by far one of the more “higher end” products in my collection now. Before today’s shopping trip, I’d say the most “high end” products in my collection were from NARS. Soleil de Tan was $48 however, it’s extremely pigmented. It’s a product that’s going to last a very long time.
Soleil Tan De Chanel
I kept on hearing such great things about this bronzer and while I’m not someone who loves creamy bonzers (I prefer powder), I figured it would be good for me to get out of my comfort zone a bit and experiment with something different. Unsure as to what brush I want to use with it. I have a Sigma 168 but from I’ve seen online, the MAC 168 is significantly smalle which will be better for contouring. I’ll have to stop by MAC to see the 168 in person…
In addition to Soliel de Tan, I also picked up two of the Chanel LÈVRES SCINTILLANTES GLOSSIMER. Chanel Glossimer’s had been on my wish list for quite some time but at $28.50, I was unsure–are you paying for “the name” or quality product?? After my beautiful friend, Tara got me Chanel Glossimer in Mica for my birthday, I knew I needed more of these glosses in my life. Mica is so “Nancy Valentino” and I really loved the quality of this gloss so I HAD to get *one* more.
Of course, after looking at the glosses and swatching them at the Chanel counter, I fell even more head over heels in love. There were THREE I “NEEDED” however, I “only” got two…*lol* Petit Peche (148) and Constellation (108). I’ve seen swatches of both products online and I have to say, photos do NOT do these glosses justice! I was a little unsure about these glosses because they have such little pigmentation however, if you are someone into glossy, shimmery lips, you’ll love these glosses! I think these glosses, especially Constellation, is going to look fab over a nude or light pink lipstick. I can’t wait to play with my new makeup goodies!
Bottom: Constellation// Top: Petit Peche
All items were personally purchased by myself.
