♥ Chanel Rouge Double Intensite ♥

One of my favorite discoveries of 2013 was Chanel Rouge Double Intensite, a long lasting, non-drying liquid lipstick formula that seems unbeatable. 

Swipe this on and add the gloss on top - this may sound a bit like the double ended long wearing lip formulas of old - but this is something better. Those old school lip stains and my dry peely lips definitely did not get along. This Chanel formula, however, is seriously brilliant. 

L-R: Light Rose, Sensual Rose

On me, this formula just lasts all day, and even protects my lips from environmental dryness. It doesn't make my lips any drier, and it DOES NOT BUDGE! I don't know about you, but one of my pet peeves with lipstick is that I hate hate hate seeing it on cups, utensils, etc - this fantastic lip product solves that problem for me, and I don't have to touch it up! They last forever too - 10+ hours on me - though fans of a perfectly pigmented lip look may want to touch up after a heavy meal or around 6-8 hours in.

There are two things I ought to mention though - when I slather on a ton of lip balm underneath, it is not quite as budgeproof, though still more transferproof than most things I own. Also, those who aim for perfect/clean lip lines may want to use a lip brush or lip liner. 

As you can tell, I'm a HUGE fan, and I'll definitely be on the lookout for new shades. What do you think - are Chanel Rouge Double Intensite a product you'll be looking at? What are your favorite long wearing lip products? I'd love to know!

What I Wore, #25

This week was all about eyes. It was a bit of a brown smoky eye kind of week... 

Laura Mercier Artist Palette 2013, Nars Single Eyeshadow in Blondie, Rouge Bunny Rouge Eyeshadows in Eclipse Eagle & Olive Violetear, Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara, Benefit Eye Bright, Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Stick in Khaki, BareMinerals Round the Clock Eyeliner in Midnight

Posts This Week (& Last!): Last Empties of 2013! November & December // 2014 Beauty Resolutions // New Year's Detox & Pamper // Best of Beauty 2013 // December Favorites // Products That Didn't Work for Me, #6 // Goldfaden MD Radiant Skin Renewal Kit // Spill It! What's in My Makeup Bag

Products I Loved: I'm liking my Laura Mercier Artist Palette and RBR eyeshadows, and I'm sad to reach the end of my sample of Pai Rosehip Oil. That is definitely on my to purchase list! 

Beauty Purchases: Thanks to gift cards, I ordered Dior Addict Lip Gloss in Exquise from the Spring 2014 colleciton, Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask, and Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation. Can't wait to try the new KGD formula and the new releases! 

Added to the Wishlist: Dior Fusion Mono Matte eyeshadows from the Spring 2014 collection, Guerlain Spring 2014 blush, Clinique's neutral eyeshadow palette, Chanel Le Blanc... and a pile of new releases on Sephora's site including Boscia Tsubaki Hydration Mask, and a set of Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Waters. 

What was on your radar this week? Did you have a good New Year's? Do share! :)

Last Empties of 2013! November & December

I didn't end up finishing as much as I was hoping at the end of 2013, but I thought I ought to share anyway. After all, the whole purpose of me posting about them was to keep track of what I was using up! 

*PR Sample

First, I'll start off with the items I don't have in the picture! 

Lush Holiday Bath Bombs: Bombardino, Shoot for the Stars & Luxury Lush Pud* 
My favorite of the 3 was Shoot for the Stars, but check out my original post here. Lush holiday items are always fun, and I definitely look forward to what's in store next year! 

Lush Ceridwen's Cauldron Bath Melt* 
I quite liked this cute reusable bath melt that softened my skin. Check out my original post here! 

Osmia Organics Organic Tea Bath* 
I always wanted to try a tea themed product for the bath, and this was a great start! Check out my review here.

Neom Luxury Organics Travel Candle in Sumptuous
I quite enjoyed trying this light floral orange blossom candle. Neom candles burn well and have a great scent to them, so I'm quite pleased with my introduction to the line! I would definitely purchase other scents once I use up the pile of candles I have. :)

Now onto the items in the photo above! 

Tatcha Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil*
I'm totally in love with this stuff. Maybe you've heard me talk about it. ;) This is just perfect for my dehydrated skin - check out my original review here. I've totally bought another sample size AND a full size. :)

Beautannia Columbia Road Candle* 
I really enjoyed this Beautannia candle and am this close to hitting checkout on a sampler set of Beautannia candles. Check out my original review here. 

Lush Fair Trade Honey Shampoo* 
I quite enjoyed using up this shampoo, but was totally sad when I dropped the bottle and broke the bottom! Of the Lush shampoos I've tried so far, this one is my favorite for my fine hair. Will definitely consider repurchasing once I use up my shampoo stash. (Yes, shampoo stash. How did this happen??) 

Chantecaille Flower Infused Cleansing Milk (deluxe sample)
I quite liked using this sample but I don't think I would ever shell out $64 for it. I loved the creamy texture, which wasn't stripping on my dehydrated skin and kept my skin feeling soothed. This sample only lasted about two weeks, so I can't say if it made measurable improvements on my skin and I definitely can't bring myself to shell out the big bucks on a cleanser! 

Life NK Mighty Mitts Hand Cream (deluxe sample) 
I quite enjoyed this hand cream sample and loved the light fresh scent. I think it is the perfect hand cream for spring and summer! Check out my original post here. I would consider repurchasing this but can't seem to find it on Space NK's US site?? 

There was nothing of note in the pile of miscellaneous samples I tried, though I did use up a sample pot of Armani Luminous Silk that I had laying around. I had to toss a dried out bottle of Seche Vite - seriously, I think I bought this in 2007 and I don't even care that it is dead now lol. I also had to toss the mini Benefit Watt's Up because the product fell out of the tube onto the floor. GROSS! 

All in all, I didn't do so great on this round of empties. But I felt just a tiny bit better when I counted up my empties from the year. This is what I finished! 

• Full Size - 30 (lots of bath bombs though, so maybe that doesn’t count)
• Travel Size -17
• Deluxe Sample - 21
• Sample Packets - 55

So, how did you do with using up products in 2013? Did you find yourself using up a lot of products in November and December, or were you like me?? Hehe, I'd love to know! 

2014 Beauty Resolutions

Happy New Year!! I hope you guys spent your evening celebrating exactly the way you wanted to. Did anything exciting happen on your New Year's Eve? 

In any event, I've spent a lot of time thinking about my beauty resolutions for 2014. I never make any resolutions in regular life, but I seem to LOVE making them for beauty related things. :D Here goes!

Forget no buys - 2014 is the year of the empties. 
As I’ve attempted to do a low buy for much of 2013, I’ve also thought long and hard about my never-ending need to buy, and my hardly touched collection. I’m a collector (hoarder) at heart, so this behavior is only natural. And, as many of you have so eloquently put it before, beauty is my hobby and I am generally careful with my spending everywhere else. I’ve realized that I’m perfectly content with my collection, growing or not, and my real issue is that I seem to finish so little. So, 2014 is definitely the year of empties, and if I manage to buy less, I’m happy with that too!

Get tough and be strict about a one in one out policy. 
In the effort to be a less wasteful consumer, I will commit to clearing something out before buying something new. So, before I buy another eyeshadow/lipstick/whatever product that I "must have," I must finish/give away/sell one I already have. Oy! 

Finish all the things before buying more! 
Okay, maybe not all the things. But really, as many things as I can. So before buying anything in the following categories, I should use up or otherwise get rid of all my full sizes and samples when it comes to skincare, haircare, mascara, eyeliner, and primers.

And last but not least, keep using my app discoveries (Lift & Plant Nanny) to keep up with good makeup habits and drinking lots of water! Have you made any resolutions for 2014? Do you have tips for keeping up with them? I'd love to know! :)