Today,
Dec. 8th is Green Monday. And although I'm completely baffled by what
'Green Monday' is and why it presents itself so soon after Black Friday I
will rejoice in the deals it provides. Below are the deals that you can
find online today and a cheeky little wishlist created by yours truly.
Happy Shopping!
THE DEALS
FOREVER 21 – 30% OFF Select Merchandise w/CODE:DEAL30 [Ends 12.8.14]
CLUB MONACO– 30% OFF Select Merchandise w/CODE: WINTERFAVES [Ends 12.8.14]
ANTHROPOLOGIE– Extra 30% OFF w/CODE:EXTRAMERRY [Ends 12.9.14]
I'm working up the willpower to make the commitment to the gym again – I'm still in that hazy phase where you set your alarm each morning with intent but never make it out of bed on time. This overwhelming feeling of lazyness needs to end and this week I've taken matters into my own hands – and by that I mean I've bought some new workout gear, created the ideal playlist and assembled my very own post-workout beauty army.
THE GEAR
Getting the courage to go to the gym for the first time in a while can be daunting – you want to look the part and fit in seamlessly. When it comes to gym wear I tend to stick with brands like Lululemon, Addidas and Nike – their products last the test of time and keep me stylish as I sweat. Lululemon is my true kryptonite. Just one look at the Cardi All Day ($178) cardigan, made of merino wool and you'll understand why. I've also recently become obsessed with a new water bottle company called bkr – their simplistic design mixed with edgy editorials and vivid inspirations make them a brand to know. Below are a few products that are currently on my gym-wear wishlist.
THE PLAYLIST
Now that we've got the look down pat it's time to focus on the music. I spend days at a time researching what songs to add to my playlists because I hate the feeling of begrudgingly listening to a song I dislike while running – it's completely demotivating. The genre that gets me moving: trap music. I've found so many great trap playlists on 8tracks – a site similar to Spotify that let's you explore pre-made playlists. The playlist from 8tracks on days when I'm too lazy to create my own is called Okay Work, found here. It features strong women like Rihanna and Queen B to empower you as you work out and even offers some profound advice: Do your damn squats, wear red lipstick and tell boys to fuck off.
THE POST-WORKOUT BEAUTY ARMY
Before we get into the powerful little post-workout beauty army that I've assembled let's talk about my pre-workout regime, which consists of simply one detoxifying cleanser, the Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser[*]. It's lovely. The Purifying Cleanser deeply cleanses my skin removing all traces of makeup and even imparts a cooling sensation that feels great pre-workout. Post-workout I like to cleanse my face and neck using a cleansing cloth – currently the Olay Fresh Effects S'Wipe Out. However I find them slightly irritating. I'm dying to try out the Philosophy Purity Made Simple One Step Cleansing Cloths or the new Korres Greek Yoghurt Cleansing Wipes. Once cleansed I give my face a quick spritz of the Caudalie Beauty Elixir for a boost of radiance before moisturizing with whatever sample has peaked my interest that week. This week I've settled on the Eve Lom Moisturizer[*] – so decadent, and so spa-worthy ahh.
My post-work makeup regime needs to remain quite simple because personally, I'm likely to be running errands or simply headed home to nap/binge on chocolates. The best errand running foundation I know of remains the Benefit Big Easy – it delivers light coverage, enhancing your skins natural beauty and hides any signs of the workout with it's matte finish. I then simply fill in my brows using the Benefit Gimme Brow, add a few coats of mascara and bring some life to my face with a pretty pink lip courtesy of the adorable Royal Apothic Tinties Lip Butter[*] in Pink. Although another great lip/cheek product to add colour and warm up the complexion are the Josie Maran Coconut Cheek Gelées – I used the shade Pink Escape while vacationing in Miami and absolutely loved the natural effect it delivered. Et voila, ready to face the world.
What keeps you on track before and after the gym?
AM¥ XO
*Some of items in this post have been sent
to THE PRETT¥ VAIN for purpose of review. All views expressed reflect
my own opinion on the product. For additional information please see the
Disclaimer.
Few palettes have caught my attention since the Urban Decay Naked palette frenzy. Being a neutral lover I found that I had no need to explore other shadow palettes, I had everything I could ever need with the Naked lineup. Or so I thought...
Meet my recent love, the Smashbox Double Exposure Palette ($60). This eyeshadow palette is quite possibly the best palette of all time – although many would argue that it's predecessor the Full Exposure Palette cannot be beat. It's a 14-shadow palette, who's shades transform in one of four ways with the addition of water – get a deeper shade, turn up the vibrancy, transform it to a metallic or amp up the sparkle. This is all facilitated by coated pigments that give a multi-dimensional effect when wet. You can use the shades completely dry, wet or mix and match the finishes. The possibilities truly are endless. The palette comes with a dual-ended brush – the domed side absorbs just the right about of water for the most impactful color, while the angled side creates a precise line when wet, or smoky diffused line when dry. A lot of my experiences with brushes included in eyeshadow palettes end in heartbreak, but Smashbox ensures this isn't the case – the brush worked well both wet and dry and delivered a pigmented swatch with minimal fall out. And to finish off every look the Double Exposure Palette also features a deluxe-sized sample of the Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara. I love this mascara, the formula is very build-able, delivering thick, long lashes without clumping or smudging. A definite repurchase for me.
As you can see, this palette is certainly not one-noted – even before the shades 'transform with water' you can see colour diversity that far surpasses the Naked palettes. Smashbox was genius to pair neutral classics with nodes of navy, purple, and rose – a beauty obsessive's delight. I am guilty of being [slightly more than] obsessed with the Double Exposure palette – hell I've begun day dreaming of looks that I can create with it. For day I stick to the right hand side of the palette – I apply Flushed all over the lid, deepen the crease with a mixture of Fig & Espresso and highlight the inner tear duct with Quartz. To add interest to this look I like to use the angled brush wet and smudge the shade Copper along the lower lash line – this adds an unexpected metallic sheen and aids in brightening the eye. For night looks my brush finds the cool, deeper shadows found on the left hand side of the palette – I begin with a wash of Silver all over the lid, deepen the crease, creating a stylized V in the outer corner with Haze and Noir and highlight the inner tear duct and brow bone with Blanc. Once satisfied I add some water to the domed edge of the brush and pack the shade Silver onto the eyelid again in order to enhance the metallic finish and then use the angled brush dipped into water to smudge the shade Midnight along the lower lash line. All this and my experimentation continues. Not a palette to be missed, I say.
The palette is currently available from Sephora, and will be available at Murale February 2015.
Have you set your sights on the Double Exposure palette?
AM¥ XO
*The items in this post have been sent
to THE PRETT¥ VAIN for purpose of review. All views expressed reflect
my own opinion on the product. For additional information please see the
Disclaimer.
One can never have too many face masks – at least that's what I've been telling myself recently to shield myself from feelings of guilt. My most recent splurge was during the Sephora VIB sale when I spotted the Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Mask. I originally had my sights set on this single mask, but once I was shown the brands Skinstant Mask Magic Set ($52), which also included the Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Gel Mask and the Pumpkin Enzyme Mask all bets were off. The 3-piece set contains PTR's most popular masks to detoxify, repair, and polish skin and is even available in a mini size, shown here – perfect for gifting.
An ultra-gentle gel that works to soothe, hydrate and detoxify dry, irritated skin. The fresh scent of crisp cucumber will instantly put you into a state of relaxation, while the lightweight gel creates a hydrating layer over the skin to instantly cool and soothe. Even 10 minutes after application the mask still felt comfortable to wear and had yet to dry completely. Upon rinsing the mask off, my face felt smooth, fresh and awake, as if I had gotten my full 8 hours of beauty sleep. This is the ideal mask for the on-the-go girl who is looking for a pick me up to revive tired, dull skin.
A rose-laden gel mask that uses cutting-edge plant biotechnology to reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles by regenerating, rejuvenating, hydrating, brightening, firming and toning the skin. Rose plant stem cells may be amazing, but the rose scent is something I could do without – I'm always reminded of a grandmother, and unfortunately it's never my own – that woman had taste. But once the scent dissipates you come to realize the mask itself is quite lovely. Similarly to the Cucumber Gel Mask it applies creating a hydrating layer that feels cooling to the skin. Once removed from the skin, the mask reveals smoother, softer skin with diminished pores and fine lines – considering I have been obsessing over the size of my pores recently this was a welcomed surprise. Now to find a way to deal with the sickly floral scent.
Key Ingredients: rose commiphora, desert rose, damas rose, pale rose, white rose, rose damscena, rose canina, rose hip seed, and rose water.
A powerful and highly effective exfoliating treatment to address a dull, aging and congested complexion. What they don't tell you is that for the duration of this treatment you will look like Snooki and smell like a freshly baked pumpkin pie. The treatment itself applies like a bad self tanner, covering you in a orange-hued Snooki-esque glow, which you then massage in with wet fingertips before letting it sit for 3-7 minutes. The mask includes 3 key ingredients: pumpkin enzyme to digest dead skin cells, alpha hydroxy acid, which acts as a gentle peel and alumimum oxide crystals to polish and exfoliate skin. Together these ingredients reveal a smoother, radiant and revitalized complexion that glows. If I had to repurchase only one mask from this kit this would be the clear winner – and I'm trying very hard not to base that off of scent alone.
