Get Naked

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This product, the Naked3 Eyeshadow Palette, is a great investment for a few reasons:

1. It caters to a variety of eye colors
2. Has daytime and nightime shadow options
3. Is great for mixing
4. Will last you a long, long time
5. Has every finish you could need: mattes, pearls and metallics

The palette is $54 so yes, it is on the pricier end. This item was actually gifted to me last Christmas so I lucked out, but I still think it is worth the money to virtually not have to purchase another eyeshadow for the next few years.

For tips & tricks on how to get the most out of this palette check out this youtube video:

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Wavey Wednesday

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The BaByliss Pro Nano Titanium curling wand is one of the best purchases I have ever made. Before this, my hair was only ever two styles: air dry frizz ball, or straight. This helped shake up my routine a great deal. It is super easy to use and gives you perfect beachy waves. This tool is my go-to when I go out because the curls also add volume to your hair giving off that “professionally done” look. I have had so many compliments on this particular hair style. You can purchase this wand on Amazon for $40, MUCH cheaper than any of the other high end brands. I highly recommend this tool to anyone looking to change up their look.

Completely Smudge Proof Eyeliner

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One is a liquid eyeliner and one is a crayon, but both are solid choices. While different in type and texture, these two eyeliners are what you want if you have a long day ahead of you. Need something that will last you from 8am-8pm? Either of these will get the job done. The liquid eyeliner is called Jesse’s Girl Cosmetics Liquid Eyeliner, Waterproof, Black. It is SEVEN dollars! I first used this brand when it was sent to me in an Ipsy bag and I fell in love with it. I am usually terrible at applying liquid eyeliner but this one goes on smooth and locks into place. It lasts me through work, a happy hour, and an entire night out.

The crayon liner is Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner. When you first apply it, it is very easy to move around, blend, etc and is great for a smoky eye look. However, after about a minute it dries completely and is there to stay. This eyeliner really impressed me this week when I got stuck in an hour and a half advanced hot yoga class (another story for another time). Suffice it to say, when I left there I was sweating like no one has ever sweat before. I checked the mirror just to see the mess that would be looking back at me and my eyeliner looked completely untouched! I was blown away. The only negative I have about this liner is that at times it can feel heavy on my eyelids especially if I am already tired. It is also $20 so not as cheap as the Jesse’s Girl. But still a great choice!

Either of these are excellent for those humid summer nights when you feel like your makeup is going to melt off your face. Even if your foundation does, at least your eyes will look good!

Have a great weekend 🙂

Special Edition: Rent the Runway Unlimited – A User Interview

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As some of you know, I currently subscribe to  Rent the Runway Unlimited. I am a big fan for many reasons, but I thought it would be an interesting change of pace to interview another subscriber about their experience. Today’s interview is with one of my nearest and dearest friends Jessica Stein! She introduced me to the service and has been a member since their initial start up (click on the links throughout the post to check out some of her favorite items):


How long have you been a member of RTR Unlimited?
I have been a member of RTR Unlimited from the day it started- July of 2014 I received my first order.

How did you first hear about it?
I received an e-mail about Unlimited from RTR. I had actually never rented a dress from them prior but was on their e-mail list. I signed up during the Beta program so they actually reached out to me multiple times to get my opinion on the program- what I liked and what I thought they could improve. Some of my suggestions are now implemented, so I like to think my input helped 🙂

What made you decide to try it out?
I love clothing and accessories and thought this would be a fun way to try out things that are outside my normal budget. The three pieces I choose at a time can really freshen up my wardrobe and allow me to experiment with what I already own.

Do you find that it helps control shopping urges?
To an extent…haha! At the time I became an Unlimited member, I was newly engaged and knew I had to curb my usual spending habits because it would be a financially straining year for me. It definitely has been helpful for more formal occasions where I would typically go out and buy a dress. This past weekend, I wore a dress and used a clutch from Unlimited for a wedding and got to wear something I loved without spending a ton! If I ever feel there is a void in my wardrobe, I can use this service to fill that rather than going out and shopping like I would have done in the past.

How many people do you know who use the service?
Currently just me and the writer of this lovely blog!

What are your three favorite items you’ve rented, and what is the
longest you’ve kept an item?
Ahh this is a hard one! I really have loved so many of the pieces I have received. I love Eddie Borgo jewelry including the door latch cuff. Eddie Borgo pieces are simple but have been fun to wear with other jewelry of my own. I have also enjoyed my Loeffler Randall handbags. They are roomy but not too big so good for a weekend outing when you don’t feel like carrying around a lot of stuff. I am also a huge fan of Helmut Lang jackets including the Smoking Wool Tuxedo Blazer and Inclusion Coat. The Tuxedo Blazer I had for over two months I believe. It transitioned really well from fall into early winter. I could wear it out on the weekends with a cute jumper or to work! It was the piece I by far got the most use out of.

What three items do you currently have?
Right now I actually only have one piece- the ELA Metallic Stud DN Bag. This bag is spacious and holds a lot. I also love the metallic color and it goes with a lot! I just returned the Whiting & Davis Birdcage Clutch and the ML Monique Lhuillier Ring Around Dress which I used for the wedding I mentioned earlier. Both pieces were great. The color of the dress definitely stood out to me and I would get it again.

Would you recommend this to a friend?
Absolutely! I am always advertising the service to friends. I always receive compliments on the pieces I am wearing so encourage people to try it out! It is a reasonably priced and fun way to get fashionable pieces you may not typically purchase yourself!


Brighten & Illuminate Your Monday

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Happy Monday! (inserting that exclamation point was kind of difficult)

Onto week 2 of The Daily Primp. I enjoyed sharing my insights with you last week-however I think this blog will work better if my entries are more spaced out, so I will be updating 3-4 times a week moving forward.


Today’s product is one of my favorite lotions. It is PERFECT for summer when you have no choice but to have constant arm and leg exposure. Jergens BB Body Perfecting Skin Cream is amazing and is like having a hydrating/tinted moisturizer for your entire body. It visibly firms and smooths while evening and brightening your skin tone. I used it all last summer and am onto bottle #2 this summer. It is available for light/medium/dark skin tones. And its $12.99. A good quality product that won’t break the bank-give it a try! It is also available in travel size if you want to do a test run without buying a full bottle.


For this product, and any of the others I have previously mentioned, feel free to leave a comment by clicking on the link below the header. I would love to have feedback and am dying to know if anyone has tried anything and liked/disliked it. Also, if there is a topic you would like me to cover (does not need to be beauty product related) please send that along as well.

Hope everyone has a great start to the week 🙂

Foundation Friday

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Dewey delightfulness could have been another name for this post. This is a foundation I was introduced to about 3 weeks ago by a fabulous Sephora employee who used to do theater makeup so he knew his stuff. It is new to the foundation market. It’s light, hydrating, and gives off fresh faced summer glow. Introducing bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tined Hydrating Gel Cream. There are 10 shades to choose from and its $29! Unheard of for good quality foundation. One of the other great things about this product is that you don’t need to apply a primer beforehand, just your daily moisturizer. It also works well as an under eye concealer and has been receiving rave reviews on both Sephora and Ulta’s websites. Go grab some just in time for the weekend!

Special Edition Thursday: To Steam or not to Steam?

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Getting this one in under the wire! Every Thursday I will be covering a non-beauty product related topic and today the topic is steamers! I promise, they’re exciting. Before I purchased this, the amount of clothing that used to pile up in a bag for the dry cleaner was astounding because I never felt like dragging out the ironing board. Not to mention-a lot of my shirts are made with thinner, gauzy polyester material that you cannot iron. Steaming is a great option because its quick, gets out pesky wrinkles and requires little to no set up. This steamer is the Conair Extreme Steam Fabric Steamer and is only $27. I have had mine for 2 years and it still works great. It also comes with attachments for adding creases to pants (I have not personally used these but have heard and read they work well).

I highly recommend everyone purchase one of these-especially if you work in the corporate world and have an endless amount of Loft blouses in your weekly rotation. It is also ideal for apartment living because let’s be real, who has room for an ironing board?

J’Adore Dior

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I have never been a big lipstick/lip gloss fan. I have always found them to be too sticky, smeary, and the color never lasts. For this reason I have always just stuck with a clear lip balm, also because my lips tend to dry out very easily. Last year my friend Nell turned me onto this product and I was pleasantly surprised! I am now onto my second one and plan to keep buying it in the future.

Dior Addict Lip Glow simply enhances your natural lip color while moisturizing. It is formulated with color reviver technology and reacts with the chemistry of your lips to create your own unique shade. I have been asked by many people what color I have on, and they are always surprised to learn that it goes on essentially clear. It is also a very light weight formula so it never feels cakey on your lips. It is a bit pricey, $33, but it lasts a long time. I used mine almost every day and it lasted me about 6 months. Go out and give it a try the next time you’re in the market for some lip color!

Round Brushes Galore

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I figured it would be fitting to do a post on round brushes to go along with my hair dryer suggestions from yesterday.

The above photo shows the three ceramic types that I currently use, and they are labeled 1-3, 1 being my favorite option (I realize they are ordered by size as well, which is just a weird coincidence–no bearing on the quality of the brush).

I’ll begin with #3, the DryBar Full Pint round brush. This was another DryBar impulse purchase that happened not too long after the hair dryer purchase. I figured if I loved the hair dryer, I would love the other products as well. Not the case. This brush is adequate, but is definitely not my favorite. It does not pull through my hair smoothly which causes kinks and its a little too light which causes a lack of sturdiness. Blow drying your own hair is pain as it is, so you want to make sure the tools you are using don’t add to your frustration. This brush is also $40 which I think is overpriced for the quality.

#2-The Cricket Friction Free Thermal 2″ round brush is a great option! This was recommended to me by my hair stylist a few years ago and he was right. It is a great blow dry/shaping brush. You can also find it on Amazon for under $20. This was my #1 go to for a while, but over the years the glue has loosened and the top piece of the brush tends to pop off at random. It’s still useable and I like the size, but I’m not too impressed with its longevity. It does pull through the hair smoothly and adds some shine.

#1-Olivia Garden Nanothermic Brush 2 3/4” is my absolute favorite! The size is perfect for longer hair. Sizing aside, the quality is excellent. I have had this brush for over 2 years and it still feels brand new. The weight and grip of the brush is ideal for that constant brush spinning you do when you’re trying to perfect a section of hair. The brush also includes a retractable sectioning pick in the handle. I am going to be honest with you right now-I had no idea it had that until I just looked it up to get the exact name of the brush. This blog is helping me learn too! It’s also pretty affordable (under $25). I highly recommend this brand for any hair length in order to get that perfect blow out/wispy volume look.

DryBar Buttercup vs. the Conair InfiniPro

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Happy Monday everyone! I’m going to attempt to live up to the name of this blog by posting something daily. We’ll see how it goes.

Recently I was asked what type of hair dryer to purchase, and is it worth it to spend the money on a more expensive one or is there a cheaper alternative that works just as well?

I think it depends entirely on how you style your hair. I have several friends who use a hair dryer to simply dry their hair before styling it with a flat iron or other heating tool. For this purpose, buy the cheap stuff! A great and affordable option is the ConAir Infiniti Pro Dryer. Ringing in at just $30, this dryer is powerful and lasts a long time. I have had mine for about 4 years (i now keep it as a back up dryer) and I know others who have had theirs just as long and still use it every day.

If you tend to steer clear of flat irons (as I try to do), I would suggest paying up for your dryer. I had the unfortunate experience of using a rusty hotel dryer with a round brush and broke off a lot of hair, which is why I tend to avoid using a flat iron unless it’s absolutely necessary (there are still broken pieces around my face that stand out straight like devil horns when directly straightened with an iron).

My dryer splurge was on the DryBar Buttercup Blow Dryer. It was $195 which was really rude but I have to say, its one of my most successful investments. This thing is light, turbo charged and hot hot hot. I have thick/longer hair and I can completely dry it in under a minute. Aside from cutting down your drying time, it is a dream to use with your round brush. It leaves your hair light and bouncy with just enough shine.