Makeup Monday: Tarte Glamazon 24-Hour Lipstick

Hello All,

I recently purchased my first Tarte Glamazon lipstick and wanted to share my thoughts with you.  These are long-wearing lipsticks that retail for $26 each.  There are currently 10 shades available, ranging from neutral tones to a bold, true red.

I chose Foxy, a beautiful magenta.  I love the color and the adorable packaging!

It goes on very smoothly, especially for a long wearing formula.  I did find it a bit drying, but a dab of lip balm solves that problem.  It also has a beautiful satin sheen.

The lipstick stayed put for 5+ hours.  It did lose its sheen during wear, but the vibrant color stayed behind.  Overall, I am very pleased with this lipstick offering from Tarte.  The biggest downside is the pricetag.  If you have a coupon, gift card or some extra cash for lipstick, I definitely recommend checking these out.

Sephora: http://www.sephora.com/glamazon-pure-performance-12-hour-lipstick-P375344?skuId=1437177

Talk Soon,

T.

Get Fit Friday: My First Ever Cleanse!

Hey Girls,

Have you ever done a juice cleanse?  A cleanse where you just focused on eating natural?  I have never done a cleanse of any kind, but I am starting one soon!  LivingSocial recently had a deal on RawJuvenate Organic Detox, and I decided to give it a try.

RawJuvenate Organic Detox: http://www.rawgreenorganics.com/rawjuvenate/

I am doing the 14 day option, and it seems realitively simple.  I start my day with a smoothie made from the protein powder and green drink mix, and I take the probiotics, fiber and aloe capsules afterward. Otherwise, I just eat a healthly diet and drink lots and lots of water.  Voila!  Hopefully, I will feel better, have more energy and be ready to get serious about eating better and getting in shape.  

I am usually really leery of cleanses and dieting products, but I am not doing this to lose weight.  I am doing it because I have been eating A LOT of junk, my body is rebeling, and I just want to detox and start fresh. 

My cleanse hasn't arrived yet, but I will keep you prosted on my progress.  Have any of you tried RawJuvenate?  Any tips for my first detox/cleanse?

Talk Soon,

T.

What's Up Wednesday: Doctor's Visit

Hello All,

I am not feeling well, and I went to the doctor today.  Something about going to the doctor always frustrates me, and I feel like I never get anything accomplished.  She poked, prodded, ran some tests and sent me to the hospital for some x-rays.  I left without any answers and a lot more questions.  Ugh!

Anyway, I didn't have a lot of time for blogging in between doctor's visits, but I wanted to type out a few tips to help me (and maybe you) during the next doctor's appointment.

1) Tell the doctor EVERYTHING- You never know what little details could make a big difference.

2) Remember to ask questions- If your doctor says something you don't understand, ask him/her to clarify.  There are no stupid questions- especially when it comes to your health.

3) Ultimately, you are responsible for your own health- If you are uncomfortable with a diagnosis or treatment plan, seek a second opinion.  Do everything you can do to ensure that you feel good about the decisions being made about your health.

I hope all of you are doing well, and I will post again on Fitness Friday.

Talk Soon,

T.

Makeup Monday: Wet N Wild Nude Awakening Palette

Hey Ladies,

Wet N Wild released two limited edition palettes for Spring.  After reading reviews, I decided Nude Awakening would be a great addition to my collection.  The eight-pan palette is full of beautiful neutral shades and features the pigmentation we have all come to love from WnW.                               

Wet N Wild: Nude Awakening (Cute Spring Packaging)

Nude Awakening includes six shimmer shadows and two matte shades.  The shades vary in sheen and pigmentation, and the darker shades have better pigmentation than the lighter shades.

                                      

                                      
Overall, the colors are not particularly unique, but for the price and quality, it is a worthwhile palette.  My personal favorite shade was the "browbone" color on the right side of the palette. Gorgeous!

Do you ladies own this palette?  What are your thoughts?  If you don't own it, would you like to pick one up?

Talk Soon,

T.

New Format!!!

Hey Ladies,

I have decided to mix things up a bit here at The Life of Your Average Twenty-Something.  I am going to start blogging on a routine basis, three times a week.  Instead of being totally beauty related, I will incorporate blogs about my life and my attempt to get fit.  I hope you will join me on my exciting new journey!

The blogs will be as follows:

Makeup Mondays

What's Up Wednesdays? (Updates on my life, random thoughts)

Get Fit Fridays

In the future, I may add other blogs such as Take-Me-Out Tuesdays (date night ideas) or Tasty Thursdays (my attempts at recreating dishes and maybe an original recipe or two).  For now, I am going to stick with my tri-weekly plan.

I look forward to continuing to connect with all of you.  Let's kick this blogging change off with something pretty:

Cherry Blossoms Last Week

Talk Soon,

T.

Follow Me on Bloglovin'

Hey Ladies,

With GFC disappearing, I have set up The Life of Your Average Twenty-Something on Bloglovin.  Just click the button to the right to follow along.

Thanks so much!

T.

My NYX Blush Collection

Hello Girls,

There seems to be a consensus in the beauty community that NYX blushes are some of the best drugstore blushes in the business  I wholeheartedly agree!  I love NYX powder and cream blushes, but for this post, I am focusing on my powder blush collection.  The line offers a wide array of shades in a variety of finishes.  The only thing you have to be aware of with NYX is that their product names are a little off... For example, "Peach" is actually a beautiful warm, pinky shade.  Luckily, there are tons of swatches and reviews online, so you can make an informed decision before purchasing.  NYX is sold at nyx.com, cherryculture.com and in most ULTA stores.  Let's get to it!

NYX Blush: Summer Peach, Rose Garden, Pinky, Bourgeios Pig, Red

Same as Above (with Flash)

The pigmentation on these blushes is wonderful (see below), and they are very easy to apply and blend.  I also love that there are matte options at drugstore prices!   

Summer Peach- Shimmery pale peach

Rose Garden- Very shimmery pale pink

Pinky- Matte bright pink (as you can see, mine is very well loved)

Bourgeois Pig- Matte blue-toned pink, deeper than Pinky

Red- Matte red (this shade reminds me of Tarte's Natural Beauty)

Summer Peach, Rose Garden, Pinky, Bourgeouis Pig, Red

The line also features some nice neutral shades and some beautiful browns, including cult favorite Terra Cotta.

I definitely recommend checking these out: http://www.cherryculture.com/cosmetics/makeup/nyx/nyx-powder-blush/16203&cat=306&page=1

Do you have any NYX blushes you love?  Are there any other shades I should try?

Talk Soon,

T.

NOTD: Polka Dots

Hey Girls,

Just a quick nail of the day!  I have been experimenting with nail art.  I love Miss Jen Fabulous's YouTube tutorials because she makes it so easy to understand.  For this look, I attempted the third tutorial from the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9on3pHIsHw0

My nails are not quite long enough to achieve the graduated polka-dot look, but I am still pleased with the results.

Colors Used:
Base- OPI You're Such a Budapest
Mint Dots- Color Club Blue-Ming
Yellow Dots- L'Oreal Cream Puffs
Pink Dots- Zoya Lo
Blue Dots- Zoya Blu

What nail looks are you loving lately?

Talk Soon,

T.

FOTD: Love Affair with Louis

Hey Girls,

Here is a quick face of the day and mini product review on some of my recent NYX purchases.  I used the NYX In Love with Paris palette in Love Affair with Louis for my eyes and also used NYX lip products.  See below for more details!

FOTD

Swatches: Love Affair with Louis

Love Affair with Louis

You all already know my thoughts on the adorable NYX packaging.   Love Affair with Louis features vibrant blue shades that look absolutely stunning in the pan.  These are all shimmery shades, and there are some gorgeous deep blues and a teal that offset the more neutral options.  Unfortunately, these do not swatch or show up on the eyes very well.  The colors sort of blend together and give off a gray effect.  I did really enjoy the teal, which I used as eyeliner, and the medium blue shade is also quite nice.

Eye Look- Love Affair with Louis

Since I chose a bold eye look, I decided to keep the lips simple.  I used NYX Matte Lipstick in Whipped Caviar and topped it with NYX Butter Gloss in Maple Blondie.  I absolutely love the lipstick and can't say enough good things about the formula, pigmentation and finish.  I am not a huge fan of the butter gloss.  I do not find it very pigmented, and the formula is okay.  It smells nice and does not feel sticky.  I love the NYX Mega Shine formula (minus the smell), and this one doesn't compare in terms of shade selection or ease of wear.

NYX Butter Gloss in Maple Blondie, Love Affair with Louis, NYX Matte Lipstick in Whipped Caviar

Whipped Caviar, Maple Blondie

Also wearing:

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation- Shell
Bare Minerals Mineral Foundation- Medium Beige (Used as powder)
Almay Line-Smoothing Concealer
NYC Bronzer- Sunny
MAC Blush- Loverush
Urban Decay 24/7 Liner- Zero
Almay Get Up and Grow Mascara- Black Brown

That is all for now.  Have you tried any of these products?

Talk Soon,

T.

NOTD: Zoya Neely and Zuza

Hello Lovelies,

I am really loving Zoya polishes lately.  I recently purchased the Zoya color cuties and have been creating a wide array of looks with all my new shades.  The combo I am wearing today is bright and makes me ready for spring!

Zoya Neely and Zuzu

I used Zoya Neely, a pale mint green, with a creamy finish as my main nail color.  I then did two accent nails on each hand in one of my absolute favorite shades, Zoya Zuza.  Zuza is a beautiful teal with a shimmery finish.  I really love how the two shades look together.

Zoya polishes can be purchased for $8 at zoya.com as well as found in many Ultas. 

Do you ladies love Zoya?  Any shades you recommend?

Talk Soon,

T.

Recent Cream Eyeshadow Purchases: Maybelline and Avon

Hello Girls,

I love a good cream eyeshadow!  They are so versatile and can be used as a base or on their own for all-over-lid color.  I recently picked up a few shades that I wanted to share with you.  All the beautiful pastels make me so excited for spring!

Clockwise from Top Left: Maybelline Inked in Pink, Avon Sparkling Plum,  Maybelline Barely Branded, Avon Exquisite Blue

                                   
Maybelline Color Tattoos

Inked in Pink is a gorgeous pearly pink shade.  It is my favorite of the whole bunch.  I am usually leery of pink on the eyes, but this shade is surprisingly wearable. As with all the Color Tattoos, it is very creamy and easy to apply.  Overall, I found the staying power on the Color Tattoos to be better than the Avon Cream Shadows.

Barely Branded is a perfect highlight color and also works wonderfully as a base.  It is champagne colored and shimmery but not glittery.

In the swatches below, the left swatch is one swipe and the right swatch is built up to show the color of the product.

L to R: Barely Branded, Inked in Pink

Avon Cream Eyeshadows

Exquisite Blue is an icy blue shade.  It is shimmery and very pretty!  I do not like the Avon formula as much as the Maybelline formula, but I do like both of the colors in this post.  I also found that both Exquisite Blue and Sparkling Plum were very buildable.

Sparkling Plum comes off a bit more gray than I had anticipated.  It is a cool-toned purple with mauve undertones.  I like to use this shade as a base.

L to R: Exquisite Blue, Sparkling Plum

The packaging of the Avon shadows is a bit odd because you have to reach in pretty far to get to the product.  The Color Tattoos offer a wider container and easier access to product.  Overall, I prefer the Color Tattoos, but Avon's Cream Eyeshadows are affordable and offer a great shade selection.

Which of the above shadows do you like the best?  What is your favorite cream eye shadow?

Talk Soon,

T.