My Guide To Fashion Stalking

I wanted to talk about something new today. I haven't discussed fashion lately which is quite a shame since I enjoy fashion just as much as I enjoy cosmetics. Some info about me? I have a particular weakness for handbags, I swear there are at least 5 bags on my must-have list and 3 on my "should-pigs-fly" wish list, but that's another post for another time. 

I have to admit that discovering most of the items on my must-haves/wish lists are discoveries I've made through different commerce sites and social media platforms. That leads me to today's post, which is basically a guide from me to you about the best places to get into your fashion stalking and begin cultivating a collection. I feel like there are so many great sites out there that allow you to branch out your style, discover new trends and even purchase items on site, so compiling this post of my favorite sites just seemed like a no-brainer to share with you all.

Photo Courtesy of Pinterest

Site: Pinterest
The Scoop: A visual bookmarking platform where you can create specific boards pertaining to the pins that are included in that board, follow friends, discover new people, places to travel, brands, new interests...basically anything you're interested in, you'll find it on Pinterest. 
How I Use It: I use Pinterest to curate fashion trends and that pieces I like, recipes for healthy (and unhealthy) eating, bridal wear, calligraphy and technology. Usually, when I'm shopping for something, I reference my Pinterest boards as they contain everything that I've come across recently that I love.
My Faves on Pinterest:

• The Coveteur
• Nordstrom
• J BRAND Jeans

Site: Instagram

The Scoop: A photo and video sharing service that allows you to edit your content with preset filters to give the photo more interest and flair! You can also use hashtags to find new content. Lastly, to save a photo that you like in your "Posts You've Liked" section located in Settings, just give the photo a double tap and it's saved for your future use.
How I Use It: I absolutely adore Instagram because everywhere you look your favorite bloggers and brands are embracing very editorial style footage and try to give their followers a behind the scenes view of fashion and their day-to-day. The downside of Instagram from a fashion standpoint is that you can’t link to specific products from posts which bugs me but hopefully that's something they fix in the near future, but in the meantime, some of your favorite bloggers may have found a solution to this... read on!
My Faves on Instagram:

•      Michael Kors 
•      Bergdorf Goodman 
•      Zac Posen 
•      Paige Denim

These are my favorite for sites for finding new trends, but if you were ever in the mood to discover AND buy some new products, the next couple of sites are going to be your new best friend.

Site: Like To Know It

The Scoop: This ties into your Instagram profile and is kind of nifty! Fashion and Lifestyle bloggers that post OOTD (outfit of the day) photos on Instagram will tag it with a LikeTKIT link which will allow followers to easily curate those finds by simply liking the photo. Since this ties into your Instagram profile, all activity that is tagged is easily browsed on LikeToKnowIt’s site. LikeTKIT will also send you synopsis emails to remind you of what you've liked so that you don't forget that you were lusting over those rose gold and pearl ear jacket earrings.

Site: Luvocracy

The Scoop: Basically, this is similar to Pinterest, but, you can shop straight from the Luvocracy site. I’ve noticed many YouTubers stating that you can find all of the beauty and fashion finds they have mentioned in their videos on their Luvocracy page, so they’re starting to get a good following behind them.

Site: KEEP

The Scoop: With KEEP, you can find and curate and also purchase a collection of styles and products. Every week, KEEP features a stylist that shares his/her latest obsessions and recommendations and you can go through, browse and keep those items that really interest you. Even better, KEEP allows you to find what you're looking for easily by sharing items as a compiled list whether it's Hot Trends, Jewelry Under $50 or fashions in a specific color, they've got you covered.

Again, these are just a few of my favorites, but I'd love to know what sites you find helpful when you're discovering new styles and products.

Lastly, if you want to follow me on any of these sites, you can find me here:

Pinterest | Instagram | Keep 

Tutorial: Everyday Makeup with the LORAC Pro 2 Palette

Today, I wanted to share something different. I ended up filming a tutorial with my new LORAC Pro 2 Palette, which I completely adore. Full review to follow soon. In the meantime, I wanted to share my go-to everyday makeup look with this palette. Check out my video below and leave me a comment if you'd like to see additional looks with this palette!

The Absolute Best Eyebrow Pencil: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz

Over the past six months, the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz has quickly become my favorite eyebrow pencil. I consider it akin to a magic wand how it swiftly helps me to evenly define my brows every morning with ease.

My eyebrows with Anastasia Brow Wiz - Medium Brown

I am currently using the color Medium Brown (formerly Medium Ash) which blends well into the natural color of my brows. Brow Wiz is my favorite for three main reasons:

1. Precision: You won't encounter splotchy application or inconsistencies with this eyebrow pencil. The pencil, while retractable, doesn't have a fiddly nature to it. I've never struggled with the pencil dropping down into a black hole during application. Furthermore, the tip of the pencil remains impeccably defined throughout the life of the product, allowing you to create those tiny "hairs" in sparse areas of your brows
2. Long-Lasting: .The formula is smudge-proof meaning once you apply it, it's sticking around. I will add that I still set my brows with a clear gel, however, I've gone without that step many times and my shape defined by the pencil didn't budge.
3. Spoolie Equipped: Each Brow Wiz comes with a spoolie on one end. Having the spoolie included is a perfect feature for this product making it a no-brainer for travelers and throwing it in your bag for on the go brow shaping.

Overall, I'd say that the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz is a great product buy and well worth the $21 price tag. You can find them at Sephora, Ulta and on Anastasia's website!

A Review of Benefit's They're Real Push-Up Liner

Honestly, there's nothing worse than hearing so much about the release of a new product from a major brand, anticipating it's arrival, FINALLY getting your mitts on it only for it to fall short of your expectations. Sadly, this was the case with Benefit's They're Real Push Up Liner which if you read my post a few weeks back, I was jonesing to get my hands on the early access release of the new product.

To start, I had pretty high expectations for this liner from the beginning since Benefit slapped the "They're Real" name on the product and I immediately associated it with the They're Real Mascara which has to be included on my all-time favorite list of mascaras. However, after getting beyond the packaging, which I absolutely adored, that's where my infatuation started tapering off.

The product proved to be very troublesome from the moment I opened it. While cranking away at the dispenser, I felt like it took my eons to even get product to appear out of the flexible tip applicator. When I finally struck gold, I went for it! Starting at the inner corner of my eye, I was able to get extremely close to my lash line, which is what I was hoping for. However, I quickly noticed that pushing the gel product across my lash line was proving to be a bit messy. I noticed faded areas along my lash line where there was a lack of consistency of product application and even some clumps of gel liner caking up along the lash line. Such an utter bummer.

Honestly, I sum it up to this. The big fault in this product is that the flexible tip applicator doesn't bond well with the gentle pressure that is essential to apply liner on your lash line. Swatching this product on your hand? No problem, you have a beautiful and consistent black matte line. But, achieving the same result on your lash line is quite the feat if you don't have a lot of time to spend on the task.

I won't say it's all bad news though. The payoff is great when you get through the application issues. The natural angle of the flexible tip applicator does allow you to mark your cat eye wing with ease and the matte black color of this liner adds a mod and dramatic effect to liner that any girl would enjoy. Additionallly, if you're looking for a liner that won't budge, this is a superb option because it's definitely not going anywhere until you want to take it off.

Lastly, my only advice is that you use this product when you have some time to spend on perfecting the application. This isn't your running-out-the-door liner and this definitely isn't one for newbies to experiment with as it is quite fussy to maneuver. I've, personally, found myself reaching for my Stila Stay All-Day Liner much more often than this one on a day-to-day basis.

If you're interested in picking up the Benefit They're Real Push-Up Liner and giving it a try, you can find it at Ulta and Sephora for $24.

So, what are your thoughts on the new Benefit They're Real Push-Up Liner? Have you had issues with application and splotchy results or was all smooth sailing? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Until next time - XOXO